Even though I am not a grandparent (and not about to become one), I saw Lesley Stahl’s book about grandparents and grandchildren and thought I would take a look – or a listen to the audiobook. Being familiar with Lesley from 60 Minutes, I found her stories from her own family life and experiences well written and researched. There is a science to the instant affection between grandparents and their newborn grandchildren. This is explained as an overwhelming feeling of attachment akin to love at first sight. There is also a wealth of difference in the parental experience and the “grands” experience. Differences in age and what grands will be called today are not what they were in the past. Finances also affect the family experience and more children are being raised by grandparents or foster grandparents today than ever.
The book describes the birth of grand-daughters Jordan and Chloe and stories from interviews with Diane Sawyer, Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Brokaw. The grandfather experience and step-grandparents are also covered.
If you are a grandparent, a parent, or a grandchild, you will find this description of modern family relationships of interest. There is more to family dynamics than I would have thought possible, and Lesley Stahl narrates a wonderful audiobook on “the Joys and Science of the New Grandparenting.”