When I was a brand new grandma in 2003, I had so many questions about my role. I needed reassurance from other grandmas that all my feelings were normal. That’s why I founded the GaGa Sisterhood—so grandmas could share their joys as well as their challenges in a supportive community. No matter what stage of life we’re in, it’s comforting to share our wisdom and experiences with other women in the same stage.
Sixty and Me
Margaret Manning believes in that same principle—women need a supportive community at every stage of life. She wanted to help other women her age live happy, healthy and financially secure lives. A decade ago she started Sixty and Me, an online community of 150,000 women over 60. Over the last several years, she has created thousands of articles and videos on the topics that her community cares about most.
Four Conversations with Margaret Manning
Last December, Margaret interviewed me on her Sixty and Me Show for four conversations (videos) about grandparenting. We began with the importance of finding supportive communities. Grandmas are natural caregivers—always offering support of family and friends. But who supports us? We face many of the same challenges and opportunities and we don’t need to face them alone. Margaret and I understand why grandmas need to support each other.
Margaret is a long-distance grandma and interested in what kinds of challenges other grandmas face. In our second conversation we discussed how modern grandmas are breaking the old-fashioned grandma stereotypes.
One grandma stereotype we don’t want to break is that grandmas love to give gifts to our grandchildren. We have a natural desire to make all of our grandchildrens’ wishes come true. But before you dive into the fabulous world of sparkling lights and buzzing motors that is the children’s toy market today, make sure that your plans are aligned with your grandchildrens’ parents. Margaret and I discussed some of the secrets to buying gifts for our grandchildren.
For many grandmas, learning to deal with modern grandchildren can be a challenge. Not only do we have to learn to understand the technologies that define our grandchildrens’ lives, but we also need to understand the social pressures that they are under. I offered 6 ways grandmas can build strong relationships with their grandchildren.
I hope you’ll explore the wealth of information Margaret offers to women on Sixty and Me.
Had fun watching two of the videos so far. They’re great – to the point and practical.