I finally gave up on music.
Not that the 60's were the Best Music Years, but they were! Relevant lyrics like "she loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!" They don't make 'em like that anymore...
I think as the children grew, I tried to be aware of their music - or I made them listen to oldies. Now the grandchildren are listening and moving to ....I gave up being relevant in that area. If I expend brain cells on negotiating the geezer world, I need to pick and chose where to relate to the grandkids.
My category is literature. I read at least the first book in any popular YA series and never bypass a children's department in the bookstore. I subscribe to the library's updates of children's/youth books, know my way around a graphic novel, and try to see all the book-based movies. It might not be my preferred reading, but it is worth the effort to have a conversation starter with a 12 year old!
What is your bonding speciality? CUBS batting averages? Latest Disney movies? Online gaming? The trick is to observe grandkids' interests and activities; then pick one to ramp up your credibility. (Note this is very different from talking about something you are interested in and convincing the kids to enjoy it!)
The subtle message is that you value them as individuals with tastes and opinions. Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Not that the 60's were the Best Music Years, but they were! Relevant lyrics like "she loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!" They don't make 'em like that anymore...
I think as the children grew, I tried to be aware of their music - or I made them listen to oldies. Now the grandchildren are listening and moving to ....I gave up being relevant in that area. If I expend brain cells on negotiating the geezer world, I need to pick and chose where to relate to the grandkids.
My category is literature. I read at least the first book in any popular YA series and never bypass a children's department in the bookstore. I subscribe to the library's updates of children's/youth books, know my way around a graphic novel, and try to see all the book-based movies. It might not be my preferred reading, but it is worth the effort to have a conversation starter with a 12 year old!What is your bonding speciality? CUBS batting averages? Latest Disney movies? Online gaming? The trick is to observe grandkids' interests and activities; then pick one to ramp up your credibility. (Note this is very different from talking about something you are interested in and convincing the kids to enjoy it!)
The subtle message is that you value them as individuals with tastes and opinions. Yeah, yeah, yeah!
No comments:
Post a Comment