{"product_id":"wondrous-child-isbn-9781583943625","title":"Wondrous Child","description":"A Santa Cruz postpartum doula, a New Hampshire flute-maker, a Zen teacher, a dance therapist, a Sri Lankan film director—these are a few of the grandparents who share their stories in this bracing collection. The essays cover a wide range of experiences as they examine the marrow of this often undervalued relationship from both the grandparent and the grandchild point of view. A common thread running throughout is the special importance of these relationships, which are often as complex and rewarding as the parent-child connection.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eWondrous Child \u003c\/i\u003eis divided into four parts. In Part One, “Settling In,” new grandparents survey the territory and describe their expectations. Part Two, “Balancing Reality and Hope,” takes a deeper look at some of the heartbreak that can occur, as well as complexities: step-grandparenting, spanning geographical distance, the surprise of children living with grandparents. Part Three, “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren,” explores men and women parenting their grandchildren in the absence of parents. Part Four, “Grandchildren Remember” is written by grown grandchildren who catch the tone and feeling of this special person in their life. These vivid essays will appeal to both grandparents, as a celebration of their place in the family, and new parents curious about how grandparents can contribute to their children.\"[\u003ci\u003eWondrous Child\u003c\/i\u003e] provides a window onto the importance of a  growing issue—and population—involved in both parenting and child care:  grandparents. … [The anthology] collects 28 personal essays from  grandparents and grandchildren across a variety of backgrounds.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Lately, as I deal with two adolescents and two more on the way, I have come to think that the entire point of parenthood might be \u003ci\u003egrand\u003c\/i\u003eparenthood. Certainly I expect it will be more fun. The delightfully honest essays of \u003ci\u003eWondrous Child\u003c\/i\u003e illuminate the warm and loving yet complicated (even occasionally fraught) relationships between parents, grandparents, and the children they all love. It's a must-read across the generations.”\u003cbr\u003e —Ayelet Waldman, author of \u003ci\u003eBad Mother\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “As the demographic bulge of the Boomers moves into grandparenthood, \u003ci\u003eWondrous Child\u003c\/i\u003e will help men of my generation, who were often unprepared to be parents and left their children with a wobbly role model of good fathering. Being a grandfather is a second chance to give and receive the blessings that flow from nurturing a growing child. This\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ethoughtful anthology\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ewill help you put your best into creating a rewarding relationship with your grandchildren.”\u003cbr\u003e —Will Glennon, author of \u003ci\u003eFathering \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003e200 Ways to Raise a Boy’s Emotional Intelligence\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Since the ability of the heart and mind to respond, with love and  ingenuity and dedication, to grandparenting challenges is the theme that  runs through all these stories, this book might well have been titled ‘Grandparenting as a Spiritual Practice.’”\u003cbr\u003e —Sylvia Boorstein, author of \u003ci\u003eHappiness Is an Inside Job\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eWondrous Child\u003c\/i\u003e is a treasure, exploring the life passage into active grandparenting in  sensitive and surprising ways. Savor the essays one or two at a time,  so you can extract the most pleasure and meaning from each—ideas and  perceptions from this book will stay with you for months to come. An  ideal gift for moms, proud dads, and the grandparents in your life.”\u003cbr\u003e —Anne Mollegen Smith, former editor-in-chief of \u003ci\u003eRedbook\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eMcCall’s\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Within these pages is proof positive of the loving legacy between grandparents and grandchildren. Proof positive that the generations have much wisdom and joy to pass along.”\u003cbr\u003e —Judy Ford, family therapist and author of \u003ci\u003eWonderful Ways to Love a Grandchild\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This often-surprising collection of essays explores the complex role of grandparents in today’s world of step-grandparents, ex-spouses, gay grandparents, racial issues, and what one writer calls bridging ‘geographical and emotional distances.’ Though there’s a vast array of experiences in these touching essays, common threads run through them: the fierce and overwhelming love we feel for our grandchildren, how we end up learning from them, and how very complicated the emotional bonds of three generations can be. As a besotted grandmother myself, I highly recommend this book.”\u003cbr\u003e —Barbara Abercrombie, author of \u003ci\u003eA Year of Writing Dangerously\u003c\/i\u003e and editor of \u003ci\u003eCHERISHED: 21 Writers on Animals They've Loved and Lost \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A bible for the uninitiated and a hymnal for the rest of us, \u003ci\u003eWondrous Child\u003c\/i\u003e delineates the landscape of grandparenting in thirty graceful and grace-filled essays. The writers include grandchildren and grandparents raising grandchildren; their diversity allows us to experience grandparenting from many perspectives. The overall effect is that of sitting down for dinner with an articulate, honest, and lively group of friends.”\u003cbr\u003e —Susan Adcox, Guide to Grandparents on About.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Touching and truthful, \u003ci\u003eWondrous Child\u003c\/i\u003e does not spare the hard times, but shows fully the love possible between child, parents, and grandparents. The diverse group of writers Lindy Hough has brought together in \u003ci\u003eWondrous Child\u003c\/i\u003e inspires us to summon our best with our grandchildren in good times or difficult. I want to give this book to all the grandparents and parents I know who are navigating three-generation relationships.”\u003cbr\u003e —Susan P. Halpern MSW, author of \u003ci\u003eFinding the Words: Candid Conversations with Loved Ones\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Look at the cover of Wondrous Child, and you'll know that you have in your hands a grandparenting book that's a little bit different. There's a distinct emphasis on the emotional and spiritual rather than the physical and practical. I feel enriched and empowered  by these grandparenting stories.\" \u003cbr\u003e—About.com Grandparents\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Lindy Hough's \u003ci\u003eWondrous Child: The Joys and Challenges of Grandparenting\u003c\/i\u003e is a book of an entirely different nature. A collection of short essays by grandparents of multiple stripes, it is an engaging and very personal look at how love weaves itself through generations, gender, class, race, and age. Hough, a poet and editor, has gathered writers from hither and yon to share their experiences of grandparenting. The resulting compilation is a cornucopia of feeling and situation, some of it unexpectedly dark, but all of it intimate and touching.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eHuffington Post\u003c\/i\u003eLindy Hough was born in 1944 in Denver, Colorado. She graduated from Smith College and earned an MFA from Goddard College. A journalist and dance critic, she has taught writing and literature in colleges and universities in Michigan, Maine, Vermont, and California. She cofounded the Berkeley-based mind\/body\/spirit publishing company North Atlantic Books with Richard Grossinger in 1974, and was publisher and editorial director for many years. She coedited \u003ci\u003eNuclear Strategy and the Code of the Warrior: Faces of Mars and Shiva in the Crisis of Human Survival \u003c\/i\u003eand is the author of five books of poetry\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003eincluding the recent \u003ci\u003eWild Horses, Wild Dreams: New and Selected Poems 1971–2010.\u003c\/i\u003e For more information, visit her website at www.lindyhough.com.29 tender and inspiring essays from grandmothers, grandfathers, and grandchildren","brand":"North Atlantic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302515593445,"sku":"NP9781583943625","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781583943625.jpg?v=1767744513","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/wondrous-child-isbn-9781583943625","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}