Thirty grandmothers and grandfathers gathered Monday in our first-ever event for grandparents. Titled “The Gift of Being a Grandparent,” the event was a celebration of the special role of grandparents in their grandchildren’s lives.
Participants were seated around tables in our art studio. Most of the meeting was devoted to a free-ranging discussion among tablemates of the joys and challenges of grandparenting.
Grandparents’ ‘gift’ to their grandchildren is that they have more time available to give them their undivided attention, one grandmother offered. A grandfather noted, “We’re not the decision makers, we’re ‘influencers.’ We’re in a supportive role rather than being the ‘responsible’ ones.”
Ellen Evans, the founding principal of our school, began the session by telling the story of the school’s founding 50 years ago by a grandmother, Ivy O. Duce. As the gathering ended, Ellen (the grandmother of one of our students) commented, “This group has a tremendous amount of background and skills, and they want to share it.”
The event was co-lead by Preschool Director Susie Kohl and retired psychologist Wendy Ritchey (standing in the photos above), both grandmothers of current students. “I loved this group!” Wendy said. “It made me realize what I missed by not having grandparents in my life.”
So many grandparents were interested in attending Monday’s event, we couldn’t accommodate them all. So we’ve scheduled another one for Tuesday, October 8. Current parents, keep an eye out for email updates.
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