The 10 Commandments for New Grandparents

The following post is a guest post written by author, Jane Isay. Jane Isay is the author of Walking on Eggshells and her new book ​Unconditional Love is out now. 

The 10 Commandments for New Grandparents by Jane Isay

1. Praise the new parents. Repeat the praise. 
   
2. Don’t like the name? Never complain.
3. Never criticize your daughter-in-law. Ever.
4. Remember that you are no longer in charge.
5. They aren’t doing it the way you did? Relax. It’s their turn.
6. House a mess? Don’t say a word. Nothing to eat? Pack a snack.
7. In a crisis, stay calm and hold the baby.     
8. Sleep-deprived new parents are also fussy babies: give them love and acceptance.
9. When things get tense, get out of the house.
10. Complain to your friends, not your kids.

Unconditional Love
A Guide to Navigating the Joys and Challenges of Being a Grandparent Today 

Difficulties rarely appear between grandparents and the grandkids. Suddenly our grown children have the power to let us be with the grandkids—or not. We may be welcome—or not—on the basis of what we say, what we do, and how we behave. How can we overcome these conflicts and accentuate the love that leaps? How can we help the grandchildren blossom in this troubled world? Help is on the way. 

Purchase Unconditional Love ​from any of these sellers:
Amazon
Books-A-Million 
​Barnes & Noble 
IndieBound
​iTunes
Powells Books
​

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“My first grandchild was born two days before Doubleday made an offer on my first book, Walking on Eggshells. Now, 13 years later, I have four grandchildren, and I’ve written four books. Unconditional Love is my new one. It’s about grandchildren and their parents.”

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About Jane Isay

Jane Isay began her career as a book editor, specializing in psychology, first at the Yale University Press, and then for thirty years in New York publishing houses. She has worked with psychologists from Anna Freud to Alice Miller and Mary Pipher. 


In 2004 she began a new career as a writer of books about family: Walking on Eggshells, Mom Still Likes You Best, Secrets and Lies, and now Unconditional Love. 

Each book, based on dozens of interviews, attempts to understand the emotions that lie behind the ordinary tensions of family life and to help readers find strategies andthat may make family life a little easier. ​