Staying Close: A Grandparent's Guide to Connecting With College Grandkids (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798905048418)

Staying Close is a guide for granparents who want to remain close to their grandchildren after they go off to college. The guide shares heartfelt insights and practical strategies to help grandparents remain an important part of their college age grandkids' lives. The author draws on research, personal experiences, and testimonials from students and a successful grandmother. The guide shows how small, consistent acts of love can strengthen relationships and foster meaningful adult-to-adult connections. The guide starts off with journal prompts that help the grandparent determine what their current relationship with their grandchild looks like, and asks them to reflect on what would it mean to them if they stayed in touch. It asks them also to consider what they could offer to their grandchild as they transition into adulthood. Testimonials from students, at differing stages in their college education, demonstrates how valuable continuing a relationship with their grandparent can be to a college age grandchild. A grandmother shares her journey on how she successfully grew her relationship with her granddaughter through realistics expectations and small acts of kindness. Both are proud of the mutual adult-to-adult respect relationship they developed. In case a grandparent had not attended college, there are a list of college terms to help them understand the college expereince. Importantly, their is a chapter on realistic erxpectations for how much time their student can give during their busy years at college. With clear expectations they can understanding their role, with suggesting that continued interaction has benefits for both the student and the grandparent. To assist in the process of transitioning into a new stage of their relationship, included are communication starters, resources for ways in which to support and nurture their grandchild, and a collage calendar to help grandparents remember when support and small acts of kindness might be best appreciated. One of the last chapters is a journalling exercise to reflect on how their grandchild has grown during each year of college. The goal of this guide is to help the grandparent create a bond that can last a lifetime!