Put Down Your Book and Pick Up Your Grandchild

Grandmas and Grandpas, Unite!

Welcome to "Put Down the Book and Pick Up Your Grandchild," a new section in HOME & FAMILY that you can call your own. Being a grandparent can be pretty scary. Experts have written grandparent primers, but I’m convinced that the best teacher is our grandchild. We grandparents can share what we’ve learned from our grandchildren. That’s what this column is all about.

Here’s an opportunity to share lessons learned on a variety of topics. Here are just a few:

• How do we buy the right toys for everyone? How do we know what our grandchildren really want? Can toys destroy our relationship with our children? Do we dare buy a noisy toy that will drive our children crazy? Do we pass up the easy-assembly toys because our children may never speak with us again?
• When do we discipline our grandchildren? Do we pretend we don’t see the crayon on our wall? How do we tell our toddler that the dog doesn’t want to play horsy?
• How do we baby-proof our home — not only to protect the toddler but to protect our home?
• How do we learn to relate to our grandchildren’s parents, who by the way, will always need our advice — whether they want it or not.

Write to Grandma and share what you have learned as a grandparent. Tell us how your grandchildren have been your greatest teachers.

Please make sure to follow our Submission Guidelines.

Click here to read some grandparents’ stories

Meet this section's Editor - Sandy Chase

Sandy Chase earned the title of "Grandmother" almost two years ago, with the birth of her granddaughter. Learning grandmothering skills challenged Sandy, but with experience as a mother to two children, a master’s in education, and a deep commitment and fervent love, she rose above the daunting task. In fact, she was getting the hang of this new set of skills when her children and grandchild left for Africa on a three-year work assignment.

While she waits to embrace her granddaughter again, Sandy devotes her time to WordMasters, her Florida writing and editorial company that helps writers and other professionals in all facets of the writing process. Sandy also reviews manuscripts for publishers. But what gives here the greatest joy is writing songs and stories for her granddaughter and personal essays, some of which have been published. To Sandy, writing is a gift that needs no batteries and will never become obsolete.