John's Articles

Grandparents, Hold Onto Your Hats

Posted on 3/7/2023

Our Question of the Week is, “Pray tell, what is ‘outdated’ about obedience, respect, proper manners, and humility?” Said QOTW is prompted by numerous grandparents who have...

Parents Can Recover From Not Getting Over the 'Hump of Parenting'

Posted on 10/20/2020

Q: In a recent column, you identified toddlerhood as “the hump of parenting.” As a grandmother who managed to raise five kids who were out of the house in their early twenties and are responsible...

Grandparents Are the Glue That Bonds the Family

Posted on 5/7/2019

“When are you going to write a book on grandparenting?” is a question asked of me by lots of folks, most of whom – no surprise here – are grandparents. My stock answer: “I...

What Should Grandparents Do When Children Won’t Listen to Good Advice?

Posted on 1/16/2019

Q: We have ten grandchildren, spread between three of our kids. They all live within an hour’s drive, so we see them often. We want to be involved in their lives and to be good influences. Our...

Today's Grandparent's Deserve Well-Behaved Grandchildren

Posted on 2/23/2016

A recent article on grandparenting.com says that many baby boomers are experiencing difficulties in their relationships with adult children, including “not enough time together, not enough regular...

Grandparents Raising Grandson

Posted on 12/29/2015

Q: Our daughter died last year—long, sad story—leaving behind a 2-year-old boy. The father—not named on the birth certificate—is not and never has been a factor in the child’s life and gave us...

Grandma Needs Advice

Posted on 5/12/2015

Pull-Ups & Adoption Age

Posted on 9/16/2014

Q: My 23-month-old son does well with potty training when we’re at home. We use a “potty bell” and he goes every 90 minutes or so. When we’re away from home, however, he seems clueless. He...

8 year old Grandson is Lying

Posted on 6/17/2014

Q: We are very concerned about our 8-year-old grandson’s lying. He always pleads innocence and wonders plaintively why no one ever believes him. When someone confronts him with some misdeed...

Grandparent Boundaries

Posted on 7/30/2013

Q: Our daughter and son-in-law have consented to be the guardians of our first grandchild, due in a few months. In preparation for this momentous event, we want to understand what our boundaries...

Nanny Interaction

Posted on 7/9/2013

A mom asked me a most interesting and currently pertinent question the other day: "How much one-on-one interaction should take place been a nanny and a child under her supervision?" The...

3-Year-Old Boy Being Raised by Grandparents

Posted on 8/16/2011

Q. My 3-year-old grandson lives with his grandmother and me. He sees and speaks to his mother on the phone only occasionally. His birth father has never been in the picture. In fact, we don't know...

Telling 3 YO about real parents

Posted on 8/15/2011

Q: My 3-year-old grandson lives with his grandmother and me. He calls me "Poppa" and his grandmother "Nanna." He sees and speaks to his mother on the phone only occasionally. His birth-father...

Grandchildren's Behavior at Grandparents' House

Posted on 12/7/2010

Talk to adult kids about grandkids Q. Whenever our two adult children, their spouses and our four school-age grandchildren (tweenagers, all) visit us, chaos reigns. The children are wild. They...

Around My Grandkids, I'm Just an Old Softy

Posted on 8/11/2009

Two of our grandchildren spent the night at our house last night. At some point in the evening, I suddenly realized that an alien had taken over my brain. Either that, or I'd developed late-onset...

14-Year-Old Girl's Inappropriate Clothing

Posted on 7/22/2008

TEEN'S TARTY CLOTHES Q: I have legal custody of my 14-year-old granddaughter. Her mother is in no position to deal with a child. She frequently criticizes my values and attempts to undermine my...

33-Month-Old Girl Being Spoiled by Grandmother

Posted on 7/15/2008

LET GRANDMA CATER TO TODDLER IF SHE LIKES Q: My daughter is 33 months old and has been potty-trained for a year now. When my mom comes to visit, or when we go to her house, she still reads my...

Grandmother Undermining Parent Authority

Posted on 11/6/2007

Q: My boys are 7 and 2. I have always been an "I tell you once" type of mom, which is how my mother raised me. Ironically, when I try to discipline my kids when my mom is around, she becomes very...

Grandma Giving Gifts to Grandchildren

Posted on 8/22/2006

LET GRANDMA ENJOY THE FUN OF BRINGING GIFTS FOR THE CHILDREN Q: Should I stop my mom from giving my three preschool kids presents every time she visits? She is usually here once a month for...

6-Year-Old - Do Consequences Carry Over to Grandparents Home Over Holidays?

Posted on 12/2/2003

MUST GRANDPARENTS ENFORCE BAN ON TV? Q: After a particularly bad week in school our 6-year-old lost TV for a month. His younger brother hasn't lost his TV privilege, so our older son goes to...

Disciplining 4- and 8-Year-Old at Grandparents for the Holidays

Posted on 11/11/2003

GRANDPARENTS WHO LET CHAOS REIGN YOU CAN'T CHANGE THEM, SO JUST LIMIT THE TIME THEY'LL INDULGE YOUR KIDS Q: It has become tradition that every year, during the holidays, my entire family...

Rules for Grandparents

Posted on 4/15/2003

RULES FOR GRANDPARENTS EXPAND If my mail is an indication, my recent column on the role grandparents should occupy in their grandchildren's lives - a nonmaterialistic one - made a lot of...

Grandparents Should Give Time and Attention, Not Many Gifts, to Grandchildren

Posted on 2/11/2003

GRANDPARENTS CAN SPOIL KIDS, TOO As I write this column, our 2-year-old grandson, Thomas, is in residence at our N.C. home. His mom, en route from San Francisco to Raleigh, dropped him off for...

7-Year-Old's Misbehavior Frustrates Family

Posted on 8/20/2002

HERE'S TICKET TO BETTER BEHAVIOR Q: My husband and I are raising a 10-year-old grandson and a 7-year-old granddaughter who was a "crack baby." She is very hyper, oppositional and interrupts...

Parents Leaving 18-Month-Old with Grandma for Trip

Posted on 5/23/2000

ENJOY YOUR TRIP - CHILD WILL WELCOME YOU BACK Q. My husband and I are about to take a four-day trip, during which we plan to leave our 18-month-old daughter with my in-laws. Grandma works, but...

Driving Force of Most Sibling Rivalry is Greed

Posted on 12/22/1998

GREED, FED BY PARENTS, CAUSES SIBLINGS TO FIGHT If I had to choose, I'd rather talk to grandparents than parents. I'm sure the fact that I'm a grandfather myself - albeit a relatively young...

Grandparents Indulge 2-Year-Old

Posted on 3/30/1997

GRANDPARENTS WHO INDULGE GRANDKIDS DO THEM NO HARM Q. We are grandparents to the world's most wonderful child, a boy who just turned 2. When his parents leave him with us, which happens at...

A Job Description For a Grandparent

Posted on 10/27/1995

I've been a grandparent now for nine months, and I think I'm successfully figuring it out. It helps that Nancy, Eric and Jack Henry live but 5 miles away and Nancy is our office manager. She...

Rules of Grandparenthood

Posted on 6/9/1995

GRANDPARENTS OFFER A GREAT GIFT TO A CHILD My wife, Willie, and I have been grandparents now for six months. John McHenry Rosemond - or Jack Henry, as he is called - is doing marvelously, as...

Grandparents Understand: Parents Must Learn

Posted on 2/10/1995

GRANDDAD IS KEEPING HIS MOUTH SHUT By the time you read this, I will have been a granddaddy for slightly more than a month. Suddenly I find myself the object of greatly increased attention...

First Grandchild

Posted on 1/13/1995

NOT TO BRAG, BUT LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY NEW GRANDSON My grandson, John McHenry Rosemond, was born at 7 a.m. on New Year's Day. I know all grandparents - especially those who, like my wife...

Grandparents

Posted on 11/25/1994

HOW AN EXPECTANT GRANDDAD FEELS YOU SUSPEND ALL THE RULES AND PREPARE TO BECOME A STUDENT Two years ago, upon the occasion of my son Eric's marriage to the lovely Nancy, I published a...

30-Month-Old Will Be Fine When Parents Are on Vacation

Posted on 5/15/1992

GRANDPARENTS MUST CARE FOR CHILD WHO'S NEVER HAD A SITTER Q. We are grandparents to a very sweet but spoiled 30-month-old whose parents recently won a week's vacation in Tahiti. They asked...

Let Grandparents Spoil 4-Year-Old

Posted on 5/11/1986

LET GRANDPARENTS SPOIL CHILDREN Q. My parents live relatively close, and we see them about once a month. In addition, spending the night with Grandma and Grandpa is a big thing for both them...

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