Book Announcement! 

A former neighbor of my mom's who became her friend and has kept up a friendship with me, even after mom's passing has written a book on the importance of grandparent kid friendships,

 "GrandFriendships,"       http://www.grandfriendships.com/  

a look at the joy and growth inherent in the relationships of children and  grandparents. 

For the many years that I have known her, Helene has been an advocate, not only for the importance of grand parenting in fully multi generational families, but even more importantly she has worked to increase opportunities of the kids and adults who may not have easy access to their own grandparents or grandkids. Now she is sharing what she has learned.

My take on this? 
The nature of the American nuclear family has sometimes isolated us more than has been healthy and we have not taken advantage of the opportunities and yes, needs in our own communities.  How much cost  and how much benefit would there be if your local day care center hired a few "old fogies" to play with the kids? And why do you hardly ever see kids being invited to adult need day care? These are just a few of the opportunities around us.  I think we are missing something that could easily be made better. But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself! 

pat