GRAND Magazine - Spring 2020 - 36

ask dr. gramma karen

Recalculating
our finances

As is the case with many grandparents,
we have watched our retirement savings
get decimated recently in a short period of
time. In fact, we cannot help but wonder
if our savings will take us through the rest
of our lifetimes. Like many others in our
situation, we are doing some serious belt
tightening. Some expenses for which we
have planned for quite a while now, such
as taking our grandsons to Europe upon
their high school graduations, need to be
reconsidered.
Revisiting our financial situation and
making adjustments to align with current
realities may mean that we have to cut back
on our charitable contributions. Our being
able to share our good fortune has always
given us great pleasure, but we appreciate
that these cutbacks may be necessary so
that our family doesn't need to worry about
us being in financial jeopardy. Our financial
planner will help us recalculate such matters
as trips and contributions.

which require us to be closer than three
feet to others. This includes family as well as
friends and service providers.
However, we did make one exception:
we voted in our state primary election in
Florida. We took all the necessary precautions, e.g., bringing our own pens, distancing from others, wiping down our voting
station, using hand sanitizers. We were willing to take the risk of exposure because we
felt voting, especially during these times, is
literally a form of life and death regarding
the futures of our grandchildren.

What do you mean I can't see
my grandchildren?!

As far as how we're using our time while
in isolation, we continue to do our outside exercises away from others, including
running, biking, paddle boarding, taking
walks, and yoga. It is encouraging to note
the emergence of creative ideas for using
the Internet to stay connected with others,
e.g., playing online games together, having
dinner "together" using FaceTime, virtual
Recalculating
book club meetings and cocktail hours,
watching shows and movies together and
our daily activities
discussing them. The list will continue to
Gary and I are taking social distancing
expand.
very seriously: we have agreed that being
For example, a set of grandparent friends
true to our self-imposed isolation means no
getting together for any social interactions of ours told us that they watched a video
36 GRAND

SPRING 2020

on how to make Bolognese sauce and then
made it together. They said this co-cheffing together turned out to be great fun!
On a personal level, because hair salons
are currently closed, Gary ordered a set of
hair cutting shears with several different
blades. With no prior experience, we plan
to cut each other's hair. Yes, indeed, these
are times when we need to be open to new
experiences!

A
Must--‐Read
for
A Must Read for
Grandparents
Everyone!

In closing

I want to make two points. First, I think
it is important that grandparents give their
children and grandchildren some peace of
mind in these uncertain times by assuring
them that they, the grandparents, are doing
everything possible to keep themselves
healthy. This reassurance is particularly relevant to older grandchildren, who are aware
that their grandparents are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.
Click here to continue reading

Karen L. Rancourt, Ph.D., writes
an advice column for parents and
grandparents at Mommybites.com.
Her most recent book is, It's All
About Relationships: New Ways to
Make Them Healthy and Fulfilling,
at Home and at Work.

Look
Inside
"This
book...set
me
straight.
I
wasn't
sure
This
book
the
where
mtakes
y
boundaries
uncertainty
thorniwere
as
a
gand
randma..."
ness out of relationships.

No
more ibeing
confused,
"Karen
dentiﬁes
the
or
unsure
about
what
cause
and
eﬀect
of
to
do,
oftenissues
doingin
somefamily
plain
thing
makes
a relaand
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imple
language."
tionship
even worse!
--‐
Amazon.com
Reviewers

Show me the book!

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GRAND Magazine - Spring 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - Spring 2020