Philosopher Grandma

You marched—now what? A lot of grandparents were at “Hands Off” protests last Saturday. Many, like me, were out there to protect freedoms for our grandchildren, and everyone’s grandchildren. It was heartening to see the pe...

Inspired by Hands Off? Here are some ideas for protecting your grandkids’ future long
term!

When is a family like a cult? What’s the difference between a family and a cult? Sometimes not much. If the definition of “family” includes chosen (non-blood-related) families, the main difference is that some families allow membe...

Is your family a cult? If you suspect it might be, even a little bit, check out some signs—and what you might do to head in a new direction.

Twenty Lessons, read by John Lithgow Key selections from On Tyranny, for viewing and sharing

For your grandchildren’s sake!!

snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...

My Grandkid Is Way Smarter Than Me At That Age! My grandkid Is Way Smarter Than Me At That Age! BY:  S. MORRIS Remember how they have always told us we’re only using

Do you feel this way too?

From a GRAND reader.
Please send us your story to editor@grandmagazine.com

Making 'special time' for your grandchild I’ve been spending one Saturday a month at Mia (aka the Minneapolis Institute of Arts) with a grandson. Mia offers an amazing free opportunity called “Art Play!,” at which staff sets out supplies for ...

The trick to joyous one-on-one time with a grandchild or child is finding what clicks with the kid. Here are some tips for your search!

Who is your grandchild? Handling labels with care I am a grandmother. And a parent, daughter, and sibling. And a philosopher, writer, and editor. And a singer, and a Christian. Each of these terms says something right about who I am. But each term al...

Labeling means sorting people into groups (eg, “blonds”), and then picking out group members to benefit them (sell them shampoo) or harm them (stereotype them). There’s urgency about labeling in the US, given targeting of certain groups (trans, immigrant, etc). And it matters in families, too!

Inspiring love of nature: Outdoors with the grandchildren Caring for grandchildren, thoughtfully

Want to see some magic as your grandkids light up with excitement about nature? Follow the lead of Nancy Krebs, naturalist and educator with parks at national, state, and regional levels. She has graciously shared strategies that all of us can use as we get outdoors with the grandkids.

What's the point? Caring in tough times Writing has been a struggle for some weeks now. The speed and weight of the US’ moral and political decline has made all my words seem trivial or irrelevant, especially given the (current?) impotence ...

Gotta keep caring—and doing!—for ourselves and the grandchildren.

Long-distance grandparenting: Grief and gratitude Caring for grandchildren, thoughtfully

Long-distance grandparenting is sometimes challenging. Gratitude to good friends who navigate it with wisdom!

Great Gray owls spotted in Two Harbors ✨

Children's philosophy of rules In one of those “remember to always say yes” moments, I taught Philosophy for Children (P4C) this week—and was so glad for the chance! Our topic was rules: What makes a rule fair or not? Should you al...

Kids get it about fair rules—I wish the class I taught this week could school grownups in a thing or two!

Philosophy for children—and their grandparents Caring for grandchildren, thoughtfully

Philosophy topic for the 3rd graders I taught today: Rules. What makes rules fair or not, and when to follow them and when not. It was great to see and hear the kids **thinking for themselves** on this timely topic. And great to see a classroom full of kids think doing philosophy is fun!

Thinking today about people going through IVF—it’s great that IVF is an option (!), but it’s physically and emotionally grueling in ways the media typically skips over. Join me in giving those folks a thought, and maybe a hug?

Fun with buttons, tots thru teens In my sewing supplies drawer I have a box of buttons that dates back decades. Most of the stash belonged to my mother-in-law, who died in 2000. Maybe you have a box of vintage buttons, too—if so, you’...

Making silly fun is one of the great things about being a grandparent! And you have a stash of old buttons, right?

Are you listening to your grandchildren? Readers, be forewarned: The musings that follow represent my study and intentions, not my expertise. In a trendy phrase, “Progress, not perfection!” I took a course last fall to prepare to serve as a...

Here I am talking again! But boy some listening is needed in our loud culture. Your children or grandchildren (among others!) will appreciate having your ear.

A warm-up question I used to teach in teaching Philosophy for Children to 3rd graders today: “What’s the greatest super power?” The kids had lots of fun answers—including, of course, having all of the super powers. But my favorite answer was “to be able to heal people.”

Bishop confronts Trump during sermon at inaugural prayer service At a sermon preached to President Trump at Washington National Cathedral, Bishop Mariann Budde asked him to "have mercy" on people who are "scared," including LGBTQ children.

Mercy for children (among others!) Thank you, Mariann Edgar Budde!

There are lots of ways to bring love into the world. My way today was taking care of our grandchildren. Other days aren’t so easy—but always so needed!

Is contempt OK? What to tell the grandchildren I just read—and recommend!—philosopher Krista Thomason’s new book, Dancing with the Devil: Why Bad Feelings Make Life Good. Thomason entertainingly argues that “negative emotions” like anger, envy, an...

Should the grandkids show contempt towards others? How about turning contempt on themselves?