LIFESAVERS FOR GRAND PARENTS by Jean Smith
Millennial Mind Publishing/American Book Publishing
Genre: How to/Memoir/Inspirational
Rating: Very good
ISBN: 139781589828216, $22.00, 256 pp.
Quoting from the back cover:
“In the rapidly evolving arena of family dynamics, grandparents are often called on to provide a stable foundation for children. Author Jean Smith, a grandmother of nine, speaks from the field and provides guidelines for success that have been tried and tested. Personal testimonials and stories of a family’s journey will inspire you to succeed as a grandparent.
“This is a ‘how to do it’ book for mature adults who aspire to invest in the future through the lives of their grandchildren.”
One might ask, “Why would someone need a ‘how-to-do-it’ book about grandparenting? Doesn’t it just come naturally?” But then again, there are books on ‘how to do’ just about everything and so, why not a book for and about grandparents?
As I opened the book, I really didn’t know what to expect from a 256-page book titled Lifesavers for Grand Parents. However, it didn’t take me long to realize this was going to be an enjoyable, informative read, and the reason why?...Jean Smith herself.
Jean is an intelligent, gifted writer who draws upon her personal experiences as a mother of 3 and grandmother of 9, and great grandmother of 1. Her grandchildren span a period of 13 years and include 2 sets of twins, 2 adopted children, and 1 severely handicapped child. But more than her personal grandparenting experiences, she was a director/teacher at a Montessori school for young children, a Bible School teacher, a teen leader, a Cub Scout and Girl Scout troop leader, and a private-swim-school teacher for 30-plus years. As you can imagine, she has spent most of her life in the presence of children.
There are 38 chapters, starting with Chapter 1 - Transition from Parent to Grandparent and ending with Chapter 38 - Are We There Yet?. Each chapter is relatively short; she shares some personal stories; some chapters contain photos of Jean and her family; she provides lots of suggestions and guidance about patience, minding your own business, being helpful, not having your feelings hurt, planning events and what to do on Grandkids’ Night and all with a positive, spiritual touch.
It is clear that this woman and her family are a excellent example of a healthy, creative family unit because they care about family and make the effort to make it work. It’s not all easy and smooth, but to Jean, it’s evidently been worth the effort.
I can recommend Lifesavers for Grand Parents as a memoir, how-to, inspirational read for anyone who loves family, memoirs, and positive guidance.
Kaye Trout 8/10/2011
Genre: How to/Memoir/Inspirational
Rating: Very good
ISBN: 139781589828216, $22.00, 256 pp.
Quoting from the back cover:
“In the rapidly evolving arena of family dynamics, grandparents are often called on to provide a stable foundation for children. Author Jean Smith, a grandmother of nine, speaks from the field and provides guidelines for success that have been tried and tested. Personal testimonials and stories of a family’s journey will inspire you to succeed as a grandparent.
“This is a ‘how to do it’ book for mature adults who aspire to invest in the future through the lives of their grandchildren.”
One might ask, “Why would someone need a ‘how-to-do-it’ book about grandparenting? Doesn’t it just come naturally?” But then again, there are books on ‘how to do’ just about everything and so, why not a book for and about grandparents?
As I opened the book, I really didn’t know what to expect from a 256-page book titled Lifesavers for Grand Parents. However, it didn’t take me long to realize this was going to be an enjoyable, informative read, and the reason why?...Jean Smith herself.
Jean is an intelligent, gifted writer who draws upon her personal experiences as a mother of 3 and grandmother of 9, and great grandmother of 1. Her grandchildren span a period of 13 years and include 2 sets of twins, 2 adopted children, and 1 severely handicapped child. But more than her personal grandparenting experiences, she was a director/teacher at a Montessori school for young children, a Bible School teacher, a teen leader, a Cub Scout and Girl Scout troop leader, and a private-swim-school teacher for 30-plus years. As you can imagine, she has spent most of her life in the presence of children.
There are 38 chapters, starting with Chapter 1 - Transition from Parent to Grandparent and ending with Chapter 38 - Are We There Yet?. Each chapter is relatively short; she shares some personal stories; some chapters contain photos of Jean and her family; she provides lots of suggestions and guidance about patience, minding your own business, being helpful, not having your feelings hurt, planning events and what to do on Grandkids’ Night and all with a positive, spiritual touch.
It is clear that this woman and her family are a excellent example of a healthy, creative family unit because they care about family and make the effort to make it work. It’s not all easy and smooth, but to Jean, it’s evidently been worth the effort.
I can recommend Lifesavers for Grand Parents as a memoir, how-to, inspirational read for anyone who loves family, memoirs, and positive guidance.
Kaye Trout 8/10/2011
posted by Kaye | 2:32 PM
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