I had the good fortune to celebrate my father’s 80th birthday this week. In attendance at a dinner in his honor: my mother, myself, my sister, and my father’s two sons-in-law and five granddaughters. It’s an embarrassment of riches, really, that we all have our health—and all enjoy sharing a meal together. My dad deserves this good fortune. He’s earned the highest marks as a father and grandfather. And his devotion to my mother (nearly 52 years and counting) and to his professions as a writer and professor modeled for me the importance of loving your partner and what you do. Plus, his support for me—including replying to every one of these newsletter notes—has been unwavering.
Parenthood is a lifelong undertaking. I spend most of my time mired in the logistics of a given day or week. I also spend more time than I should looking back, feeling nostalgic for the early stages of my children’s lives. But celebrating my dad’s 80th encourages me to look ahead at all the phases of parenting (and, should I be so lucky, grandparenting) that await me. Grandparent readers—I know there are many of you: Check in with me at andrea@time.com. What joys and challenges await?
Best, Andrea
More Stories
Schools all over the country are relying ontutors and mentors to help students who have struggled academically during the pandemic, especially in math.
Last week’s news about student-loan forgiveness has spurred a variety of questions, includinghow to get a refund on payments already made and what to do aboutrefinanced loans.
Novelist Katie Gutierrez shares hernostalgia for school shopping in simpler times as her daughter begins pre-K this year.
A 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball cardbroke the record price for sports memorabilia when it sold for $12.6 million at auction on August 28.
This fall’s lists of most-anticipatedmovies andTV shows contain a little of everything: family fun, comedy, drama, thrillers, documentary, action, mystery, and more.
