How To Be a Mindful Grandparent

How To!

Slate Magazine

Business, Education, How To, Self-improvement

4.4 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2024

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Shirley Showalter and Marilyn McEntyre know that grandparenting is more than just cookies and Play-Doh. Don’t get us wrong, those things are fun! But the art of contemporary grandparenting requires mindfulness, intentionality, and navigating boundaries. On today’s episode, Courtney Martin talks with Marilyn and Shirley about their book, The Mindful Grandparent, and the wisdom they’ve gained as elders to 12 grandchildren. If you liked this episode check out: How To Face Your Kid’s Future Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen. How To’s executive producer is Derek John. Joel Meyer is our senior editor/producer. The show is produced by Rosemary Belson, with Kevin Bendis and Sara McCrea. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	We do have many moments of joy and delight, just greeting each other.
0:06.6	And it may be that we've only been apart for a week, but her little arms come around my neck and I feel this bubbling up of great joy whenever that happens.
0:23.0	Welcome to How to, I'm Courtney Martin.
0:26.0	The other day, I was going through some old boxes in my attic
0:30.0	and I found a handwritten letter from my maternal grandmother dated August 26, 1996.
0:36.3	It read, an open letter to my exceptional and unique grandchildren.
0:41.8	Have you any idea what joy you bring me? I am so
0:45.4	blessed with five good-looking very bright healthy vibrant generous motivated
0:50.4	delightful young people. Stay fascinated with life and become that special person God created you to be.
0:58.0	I love you, Grandmama.
1:00.0	It's so funny because I have no recollection of receiving that letter at 16 years old.
1:07.0	Nor do I understand why it would have been addressed to me.
1:10.0	I'm not the oldest grandchild and I'm probably not even the most responsible, but somehow here
1:14.8	it was.
1:16.4	It felt like a message from beyond the grave.
1:19.2	My grandmother's voice, her arthritic knuckles, her ham salad sandwiches, and sweet Adeline costume jewelry, it all came
1:26.9	flooding back 20 years after she died.
1:31.0	This grandmother was a big part of my life. She was around a lot. My paternal grandmother, not so much.
1:37.0	Yet both of them are a big part of who I am. Grandparents are such influential figures, whether they bake cookies or indulge
1:46.0	the world of make-believe, embrace full-bore-granny-nanny status, or prefer to parachute in and out.
1:53.0	Grandparents have a lot of power.
1:57.0	That's why we wanted to bring on a couple of people that are sort of black belt level
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Slate Magazine, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Slate Magazine and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.