Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting Paperback – Import, 10 November 2020

Great book

Warm, funny and absolutely realistic...she gets it spot on!

In essence Quindlen wrote a love letter/memoir to her grandchild Arthur. It's also a love letter to her grown son and his Asian-born wife.It is tender, funny, and full of advice for grandparents.I was touched by the way Quindlen handled the delicate balance between loving, spoiling, and getting a do-over from all the mistakes we made as parents vs. overstepping our bounds and knowing our rightful place in the family constellation.One thing I've learned as a psychotherapist is this: parenthood does make people happy, but much of that happiness gets neutralized by the day to day stress of raising a human being. However, most people get happier and happier with each decade of life, and that happiness skyrockets for those of us who get to be grandparents!We have a new perspective, we get to slow down, and just be in the moment with these tiny people. As "Gwammy" to three year old Rosalie (and a little boy coming in October) I echo the tender feelings Ms. Quindlen put into words.Here are a few quotes:“Because I’m learning that being a grandmother is not about the things you have to do. It’s about the things you want to do. The fact is that motherhood is mainly about requirements.”“Some people measure their success by the profession their children have chosen, by the purchase of a house, by how often they visit or call. But the only measurement, truly, is something that’s quite subjective: have you raised good people?”“It's a complicated relationship, being a good grandparent, because it hinges on a series of other relationships... Because being a grandparent is determined by the relationship your child has with you, partly determined by the one a son or daughter has with his or her spouse, partly determined by the relationship you have with the person your child has chosen to have a child with.”“Sometimes Arthur sees me and yells 'Nana!’ in the same way some people might say 'ice cream' and others might say 'Shoe Sale!' No one else has sounded this happy to see me in many, many years.”"All I know is: The hand. The little hand that takes yours, small and soft as feathers. I'm happy our grandson does not yet have a sophisticated language or a working knowledge of personal finance, because if he took my hand and said, 'Nana, could you sign your 401(k) over to me?' I can imagine myself thinking, well, I don't really need a retirement fund, do I?"

WOW

I've read almost everything Anna Quindlen has written; some of her books reflect my education and religious regimentation (UGH)..I especially liked her take on womens' rights and our place in society.We women are important and more aware of human kind, a gift that many men do not possess. That's MY opinion. She does make me laugh with her no-fear statements, her push forward actions.Nanaville was a bit preachy, I thought, but then she was faced with a situation that I have not experienced as a Grandmother or Great Grandmother.