The Joyous Gift of Grandparenting: 101 Practical Ideas & Meaningful Activities to Share Your Love [Paperback]

Doug Hewitt (Author), Robin Hewitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2008

This book is the ideal gift for new grandparents.

Whether they see their grandchildren once a month, once a week, or are their primary caregiver, all grandparents agree: today’s world can be hectic. It’s difficult to plan activities that can nurture their grandchildren and strengthen family bonds while still making those loving, lasting memories.

The Joyous Gift of Grandparenting helps grandparents inspire their grandchildren’s imaginations, open their minds to new ideas and concepts, and help develop their social skills.

Accompanied by conversation starters, fun facts, and a personal anecdote from the authors, activities included are suitable for all ages and various periods of time, and tips are paired with every activity, discussing grandparent-specific problems, such as:

• the challenges of maintaining a relationship over long distances

• navigating parenting conflicts between grandparents and parents

• helping grandchildren cope with their parents’ divorce

Whether they are on a fixed income or want to spoil the kids, have an hour or a week to plan, this helpful guide will assist the cool grandparent find activities that are both meaningful and enjoyable–for them as well as for the grandkids.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Doug Hewitt is the author of The Practical Guide to Weekend Parenting. Divorced with three children in 1993, he soon discovered how tough parenting could really be, Doug is a frequent speaker on parenting. In 2005, he married his high school sweetheart, who came with a whole new set of challenges: grandkids.

Robin Hewitt coordinates the behind-the-scenes tasks of research for each writing project, compiling the Fun Facts, Asides, Tips, and other features. Robin considers being a grandmother the greatest gift of her life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Hatherleigh Press (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578262674
• ISBN-13: 978-1578262670
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,729,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Doug and Robin Hewitt are full time writers who also do college consulting and give speaking engagements on their methods of ensuring college success.

Doug and Robin Hewitt were both born and raised in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. They were friends throughout high school, but graduation set them on long, separate journeys. After 29 years, they found each other again. When they did, they married and became a husband-and-wife writing team living in Mayodan, North Carolina (with a boxer mix named Rosie).

Doug's fiction includes Slipstream, Spear, and The Dead Guy, which is a murder mystery set in Detroit. For non-fiction, Doug is the author of the parenting book The Practical Guide to Weekend Parenting: 101 Ways to Bond with Your Children While Having Fun. When Doug remarried, he "inherited" three grandchildren and realized that grandchildren look up to their grandparents in very special ways. These relationships provided the impetus for Doug and Robin's coauthored book, The Joyous Gift of Grandparenting: 101 Practical Ideas & Meaningful Activities to Share Your Love.

As time went on and with five children between them, Doug and Robin helped guide their offspring into higher education--at no cost to them. This resulted in their second coauthored book, the Free College Resource Book: Inside Secrets From Two Parents Who Put Five Kids Through College for Next to Nothing, a guide to help students find scholarships and other funding to go to college for free. They are scheduled to follow this up with another college book, Cramming Your Way into College.

Having five children in college presented Doug and Robin with a new set of problems. They found the biggest challenge their children faced upon entering college was their lack of computer knowledge. Although their children would be taking basic computer skills training at college, Doug and Robin discovered that this did not help their children during the crucial first semester of college--the semester with the highest dropout rate. They were soon fielding phone calls from their children on how to use Microsoft Word--and after the word got out. The result is Microsoft Word 2007 for Beginners and Learning New Techniques with Microsoft Word 2010.

Doug has a Master of Arts degree in liberal studies. While Doug handles the creative aspect of authoring, Robin coordinates the behind-the-scenes aspects of researching each writing project as well as shaping the manuscripts with her editing skills.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super Ideas!, May 17, 2008

By 

Kathleen Murkot (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Joyous Gift of Grandparenting: 101 Practical Ideas & Meaningful Activities to Share Your Love (Paperback)

As a grandmother, I just think this book is a Godsend! So many suggestions of things to do with my grandchildren, and they are all good!
This is perfect for grandparents who want to leave lasting memories for their grandchildren, of that time spent together!!