Category Archives: family

How to eliminate a generation gap with a teenager and preteen

As my grandchildren start get older and living far away I started feeling like there was a generation gap between us.

Our granddaughters have not stayed with us for a long time. They have grown up so much and now have many other interests. The eldest granddaughter, Ivie likes being on her Iphone texting her friends, and listening to her music.

Bailey was busy on her Ipad, creating pictures, playing games and sending instant messages to her friends. How was I going to get their attention?

But when I look back at when I was 15 yrs. old I surely was in my own world wanting to be with my friends. I remember beginning to create my own interest and ideas of the world. Friends were the most important thing at that age for me.

I decided to try and remember what it was like to be a teenager with younger siblings. I was the eldest with 3 siblings. I just wanted to have my own time, but I did enjoy taking my siblings places. I always enjoyed children.

I drove to Arizona and picked up Ivie and Bailey and drove back to California the next day. They were so excited to come and stay with my husband and I especially because we live near the beach. I know they love doing things with us and they are always willing to go places with us.

The eldest granddaughter, Ivie had saved her money up to buy a real beach cruiser bicycle. Bailey had grown out of her bicycle, so my husband Alan bought Bailey a new bike. He told me he enjoys buying items for his granddaughters, especially something we can enjoy every day. The kids were so excited to go riding on their new bikes. We rode our bikes along a beach path and it’s so much fun.

We packed our lunch and rode our bikes along the beach. We rode over 10 miles. We stopped and ate our lunch on a beach bluff looking down at the water. We saw pelicans diving into the water and catching fish. We saw surfers surfing. Dogs running along the beach.

My granddaughters loved every minute on the bikes. It’s funny I did not feel like we had a generation gap any more. We all enjoyed having fun together on our bikes.

That’s the secret.. choose something you all enjoy together!

Happy Father’s day Here’s to those Dad’s raising their children alone

I think our media does not cover how many dad’s are raising their children today.

I have a high school friend of mine Don,who’s wife walked out on him and his children in the late 80’s. Don’s daughter was 5 year old girl and his son was 9 year old boy at the time. Don had a very demanding corporate career at that time and had to adjust his life to balance his career and additional family responsibility. It was so hard for him because he always wanted to married and have a family.

For many years Done was alone raising his children, address all the issues of single parenting, without any support. Most people don’t think of dad’s raising children and mother abandoning her children.

Don divorced his wife. He’s ex-wife was uninterested in being a mother any more, she id not visit her children or contact the children on their birthdays or holidays. Don never spoke badly of his ex-wife around his children. He could have.

Don learned how to braid his daughter”s hair before school. He involved his children in Boy Scouts,Girl Scouts, Soccer, after high school sports. He took his kids camping , and boating. Together they had many fun adventures.

Don remarried while his children were in grammar school. His wife Barbara was as committed to supporting the children, but not wanting the children to feel she was taking the place of their mother.

Don’s children are grown adults now, college grads and both are happily married. I know how grateful they are to their father for raising them and showing his love to them.

Today is Father’s Day, so here is to all those dad’s that took the time to raise and enjoy their children!

Memorial Day Weekend at Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu, Arizona has been a favorite place to go for my husband and I since we were teenagers. You can go boating, water skiing, and fishing. We use to water skis, but now the body just handle water skiing any more, so boating is what we do now.

Today our kids and grand-kids join us boating, wake boarding and tubing( my granddaughters favorite) where they sit on an inflatable tube tied to the back of the boat. In rough water you bounce around and have fun.

This Memorial Day our daughter and her family came out join us at the lake. This weekend we experienced very unusual weather. Normally the weather this time of year is in the high 90’s and low 100’s. Alan and I arrived Thursday evening and the temperature was in the low 70’s. We thought we would get a jump on the crowd. We launch our boat on the lake , find a cove on Friday and spend the three days going in and out of a cove.

We woke up Friday with the wind blowing 20-25 mph! the lake was so rough their were white caps. We decided not to go on the lake. We changed our plans and decided we would not get a cove, we would hang out in the boat during the day.The weather forecast was for a cooling trend.

Friday night our daughter and her family arrived. We woke up on Saturday to 68 degrees! That’s winter temps for Lake Havasu. The high was 80 degrees with 10 mph wind. We did not bring sweatshirts so we decided not to go on the lake that day. So we changed our plans. My granddaughters and I went to the Aquatic Center. An indoor water park, we swam in pool and had fun being together anyway.

Sunday we woke up it was in the 70’s and no wind. We packed a lunch and launched our boat on the lake. We had so much fun riding in the boat and getting into the water. The water was a bit cool, but we got in anyway.

We were thankful we could spend time together this Memorial weekend. I hope you had as much fun as I did!