Good to Be Grand: Making the Most of Your Grandchild's First Year

Description

Becoming a grandparent is a major milestone, raising new questions, challenges, and opportunities. Prepare for this transformative stage of life-and make the baby's first year one of the most meaningful experiences for both of you. Good to Be Grand is the ultimate roadmap for today's grandparent, combining the latest information about infant care-from medical developments to equipment innovations to parenting practices-with honest, down-to-earth advice and anecdotes about grandparents' special role. Journalist and new grandmother Cheryl Harbour gets right to the point of what modern grandparents really need to know from the time they begin anticipating the birth to the end of the first year. Harbour takes the best and most relevant information from the latest research, expert interviews, and thick parenting books and tailors it specifically for grandparents, recognizing the unique bond they share with their children's children. Each chapter provides interesting facts and observations about what has remained the same and what has changed about childcare over the years, what you can do to support the physical and emotional well-being of your grandchild and, most important, what you can do to make the most of the experience. With a foreword by Hillary Rodham Clinton, including her personal reflections on the birth of her first grandchild, Good to Be Grand is for smart and sophisticated grandparents eager to embark on their grandparenting journeys with enthusiasm, knowledge, and confidence.

As a journalist and communications consultant, Cheryl Harbour has researched and written about topics as diverse as nuclear energy, education, health, logistics, and womens leadership. About to become a grandmother, she turned her attention to finding the best information available on the first year of a babys life, eager to share not only the facts but awareness of the abundant opportunities for inspiration and transformation. Since 2011, she has kept a lively conversation going with women on the interactive web site she founded www.iwdialogue (Intelligent Women Dialogue), encouraging an exchange of views on world affairs, U.S. politics, modern society and healthand now she adds grandparenting to the mix.

"When you start to read this book, be prepared to smile, learn, think, reflect, reminisce, and chuckle ... all the way to the end. Armed with current knowledge on baby care and child development, you will be ready to enjoy and enrich your family life in the role of a grandparent." --Lois Kercher, PhD, RN, past president of American Organization of Nurse Executives "Many of my patients prepare for having a baby by reading up on the topic, but Good to Be Grand is specifically for grandparents and offers a wealth of important information most grandparents probably don't know. I wholeheartedly recommend Cheryl Harbour's book to couples looking for an excellent resource to pass on to their own parents in preparation for grandparenthood." --Lisa Mazzullo, MD, OB/GYN, coauthor of Before Your Pregnancy: A 90-Day Guide for Couples on How to Prepare for a Healthy Conception "Cheryl Harbour's Good to Be Grand is a great read for any new grandparent. I recommend the book as a resource for parents and grandparents alike... Solidly grounded in current knowledge of child and family development yet accessible to anyone interested in learning more about the life-changing experience of grandparenting, which I believe to be potentially the most important family role of this century." --Roma Stovall Hanks, PhD, professor and department chair for the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work and research director at the Center for Generational Studies, University of South Alabama "In this engaging book, Cheryl Harbour shows us that grandparenting isn't just a simple reboot of the parenting role, but will require learning new skills, both communicative and practical, as well as rediscovering forgotten joys. She is a wise and appealing companion for this journey and she has written a lively, accessible and informative guide that will be welcomed by anyone embarking on this wondrous phase of life." --Michael O.L. Seabaugh, PhD, psychologist and writer "If only every stage of life had a book like this to go with it! Good to Be Grand not only informs but highlights the opportunity to approach grandparenting with intention and along the way discover new areas of personal growth." --Linda Renzi, MA, LCPC, Clear Path Center for Well Being