There's More to The Art of Grandparenting Than Re-Reading Your Dog-Eared Copy of Dr. Spock

July 12, 2009 - PRLog -- (MILWAUKEE, WI / 7-13-09) --- Wasn't it just yesterday that you were gazing adoringly at the perfect, adorable bundle in your arms – your own newborn son or daughter? And now here you are, a “newborn” yourself – a new grandparent. You happily and successfully raised your children; so what's to know about grandparenting?

   Plenty, as you'll soon learn from The Art of Grandparenting: Loving, Spoiling, Teaching and Playing with Your Grandkids (ISBN 978-1-933449-79-1 Nightengale Press $19.95) scheduled for release this September, just in time for Grandparents Day on Sunday, September 13.

   Dr. Spock may have been our closest confidant, mentor and friend when our children came into the world, but he didn't give us any advice on the art of grandparenting. Grandchildren – and their parents – require a vastly different set of “rules.”

   Editor, author and Nightengale Press publisher Valerie Connelly – herself a brand-new grandmother (wanna see some pictures?!) – has gathered stories for The Art of Grandparenting from professional authors who are also grandparents. Filled with humor as well as thoughtful insights, she shares 18 other stories from “new” and “old” grandparents alike, along with their tips and tricks for successful, happily-ever-after grandparenting.

   The idea for the book, says Connelly, came almost the moment she learned her daughter was pregnant with her first child, late in 2008.

   "When I first heard I was going to be a grandmother, I cried with joy—and then I panicked because I suddenly realized I had no immediate knowledge about how to be a grandmother. As a child, I didn't have living grandparents, and my own parents lived too far away to be helpful with my children.

   “So, this collection of letters is a gift to all present and future newbie grandparents who need tips, tricks and real-life guidance as they first take on the role of grandparent. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed bringing it to life."

   Society has changed in so many ways, Connelly notes, especially in how children are reared and how families interact. Just 20 years ago it was still fairly common to live with one's parents early in a marriage; so when grandchildren arrived, the grandparents were often integrally involved in their upbringing. Today, however, with an ever-mobile population of two-income families, grandparents may only see their grandchildren once or twice a year and have little, if any, say in their care.

   Thus, today's grandparents want to make the most of too-often limited time with their grandchildren without overstepping their bounds. And it can be a delicate balancing act.

   In her essay, “A Balancing Act of Love” Victoria Zackheim reveals the true nature of this balancing act. "When I became conscious of this fear―that of being shut off from the girls―I began to question my grandmother friends and was surprised to discover that nearly every one of them carried that same fear. For most of them, as for me, it is without basis: we have good, if not excellent, relationships with our adult children.

   “And yet there we are, Baby Boomers sometimes reluctant to even admit much less share this fear that strikes in such a deep and vulnerable place. I asked a ‘take no prisoners’ friend if she ever worried about being alienated from her grandchildren, and her response was immediate. 'My daughter-in-law threatened that once,' she told me. 'I looked her hard in the eye and told her those children will suffer terribly without me in their lives.’ The threat was never carried out, nor was it ever repeated.”

   The grandparents who share their stories in The Art of Grandparenting answer such questions as:

   How do you offer help that your sons and daughters will happily accept?
   What will the new little person call you?
   How can you avoid some of the family relationship traps that lie ahead?
   How do you amicably “share” your grandchildren with the in-laws?
   How can you spoil your grandkids without spoiling your relationship with your own kids?
   What exactly is a “Go-To-Grandparent?”
   What is this new phrase, “SILENCE IS GOLDEN” all about?

   How the #*@! do you put on these new-fangled diapers?

   How do you talk with your kids now that they are parents?

   And much, much more sage advice and insight from those who experienced it all within the first month of their new grandchild's life!

   Donne Davis, founder of the GaGa Sisterhood (www.gagasisterhood.com) says this: "You want to become a Go-to-Grandparent so you can develop a bond with your children and your grandchildren that will last a lifetime.... The most important thing I’ve learned is that getting time with your grandchildren requires building trust and respect with their parents. Trust is the foundation for having access to your grandchildren."

   The Art of Grandparenting --- Loving, Spoiling, Teaching and Playing with Your Grandkids will be published in September 2009 by Nightengale Press and can be pre-ordered to arrive in time for Grandparents Day, September 13. Visit www.theartofgrandparenting.com or the publisher's website at www.nightengalepress.com to order. After the September release, it will be available on Amazon.com, B&N.com and all online bookstores as well.

   Ahead of the September publication, all new and seasoned grandparents are invited now to join in the Art of Grandparenting conversation by visiting the book's website at www.theartofgrandparenting.com. Here you can register to connect with other grandparents all over the world and be active member of the “Babyboom Grayboom;” read and share tips, news and your own grandparenting stories and other information; ask questions and get advice from experienced grandparents; and, best of all: BRAG about your grandchildren and share ALL your new photos of them!

   Valerie Connelly founded Nightengale Press in 2003. Today it is a leading independent publisher working with Lightning Source, Inc., the industry leader in high-speed, one-at-a-time digital book printing in the United States with facilities in the USA, Canada and the UK. Nightengale has published more than 85 titles to date. Nightengale President and Publisher and Editor of The Art of Grandparenting, Valerie Connelly can be reached at publisher@nightengalepress.com or 847-810-8498.

   SIDEBAR: YOU KNOW YOU’RE A GRAYBOOM GRANDPARENT WHEN...

   …You have a sudden urge to snap photos like a paparazzo!

   …Everyone turns and runs when you say, “I have new pictures of my grand....”

   …You realize parenting today is not the same as parenting 30 years ago.

   …You think your kids have far out ideas about parenting.

   …You don’t have a clue what a boppie is.

   …You ask, “What the heck is Hypnobabies?”

   … Your kids call you GRAMZILLA!