GRAND Magazine - March/April 2018 - 16

ask dr. gramma karen

The "chicks" and "chiclets" who play together
BY KAREN L. RANCOURT

Teenie reflects on the chick trip

few years ago, Teenie and
Randall Maddox started a
family tradition in which
Teenie, her two grown daughters
and her daughter-in-law, went on
a getaway they called their "Chick
Trip." This year they added the next
generation of three granddaughters, and their grandson's wife, all
between the ages of 20-24. They
call them the "Chiclets."
Teenie bought special candles
for each of the seven women, and
Randall wrote each a personal
note. When they were all together,
Teenie read aloud another note
from Randall that said, in part, "You
are officially joining a small tribe
of strong, intelligent, and loving
women. You can look at the generations that come before you as role
models, but understand that it is
time that you become role models.
"You are models for all women
and men of the world, and particularly family members, including
me. The generations will pass, but I
rest easy knowing that the future of
the world and our family is in your
hands. Lock the memories of this
special time in your heart forever."

16 GRAND

MARCH APRIL 2018

A
Must--‐Read
for
Grandparents

I believe in experiences and I want to gift memories. The
three generations of our family live in different states, and at
times we are in different countries. Although we all gather for
an annual family vacation, we also know the importance of
smaller groups and one-on-ones.
The Chick Trip is just that: a small gathering where the
women of our family come together to share what's going on
in everyone's worlds. We laugh, cry, discuss challenges, and
celebrate. It's an intimate week and "what happens here, stays
here" applies, although that is really more about the conversations than the actions.
There's always a spa day, a shopping day (or two!), and
dinners at the house with everyone pitching in. There are evenings with a glass of wine and toasts to something, to us, or to
someone.
The Chiclets have wanted to join the trip for several years,
but I felt they weren't ready. And, honestly, I wasn't ready to
share my magical time with my daughters with anyone else.
But now the four oldest granddaughters are ready, and so
am I. They've grown into lovely women - kind, smart, and full
of life as they explore adulthood and test their wings.
Our time together was special and allowed us to nourish, share, and continue to develop our commitment to one
another and to our family.

Teenie (white suit) with her Chicks an
d Chiclets,
enjoying celebratory Mojitos at the
Sanctuary Spa,
Kiawah Island. October 2017

Karen L. Rancourt, Ph.D., writes an advice
column for parents and grandparents at
Mommybites.com and is the author of Ask Dr.
Gramma Karen, Volume II: Savvy Advice to
Help Soothe Parent-Grandparent Conflicts.

Look
Inside
"This
book...set
me
straight.
I
wasn't
sure
where
my
boundaries
were
as
a
grandma..."
"Karen
identiﬁes
the
cause
and
eﬀect
of
family
issues
in
plain
and
simple
language."
--‐
Amazon.com
Reviewers

Show me the book!

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GRAND Magazine - March/April 2018

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