Lesley Stahl
News Correspondent, CBS' 60 Minutes
Becoming Grandma: The Joy and Science of the New Grandparenting
As American life expectancies have increased over the past decades, seniors have ever more opportunities for extended involvement in the lives of their children and grandchildren. For this talk, Lesley Stahl, one of America’s most recognized and experienced broadcast journalists, and the author of the bestselling book Becoming Grandma: The Joy and Science of the New Grandparenting, will offer a personal memoir about her own experiences upon becoming a grandmother. Enjoying many of the incredible highs of her new role, she soon became curious about this life-altering event, and set out to understand the challenges, rewards, and emotions that came with her new identity. Ms. Stahl will be in conversation with Heidi Stevens, the “Balancing Act” columnist for the Chicago Tribune.
Using her skills as an investigative reporter, Ms. Stahl set out to document the biochemistry, history, psychology, and economics of becoming a grandparent. She interweaves this research with personal anecdotes and wisdom from her friend group (Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Sawyer, Cokie Roberts, and others) and from a wide array of other remarkable women. She explores the myriad relationships between grandparents and their grandchildren, and navigating the boundaries between a grandparent, the parent and the grandchild can be tricky. More grandparents are living with a grandchild in the U.S. than ever before, nearly 7 million in 2013, up from 5.8 million in 2000, and 37% of those serve as their grandchild’s primary caregiver. Significantly, baby boomers are a new type of grandparent – they younger, more energetic, and they’re spending more money on their grandchildren than any other generation in history, spending seven times more than grandparents just 10 years ago. Ms. Stahl urges today’s grandparents to help as much as they can, because today’s parents have never had more stress – for some, incomes have stagnated, working hours are long, and many have extensive travel requirements. Grandparents are needed more than ever – and grandparenting, as Ms. Stahl learned, also reaps health benefits for the grandparent.
Event Sponsors
Upcoming Events
Year of the Monkey: An Evening with Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Writer, performer, and visual artist
Evanston Township High School Auditorium
Live streaming video of this event will be available, beginning at 7:00 PM, on the ETHS Wildkits YouTube Live Stream channel.
Special thanks to DJ Jeff Pazen for pre- and post-event music!
The Power of Human: How Our Shared Humanity Can Help Us Create a Better World
Adam Waytz, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
North Shore Country Day School Auditorium
The Great Juggling Act: Balancing Life as a Parent
Julie Morgenstern
Time-management and productivity specialist, and author of Organizing from the Inside Out, Never Check Email in the Morning, SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life, and the brand-new Time to Parent: Organizing Your Life to Bring Out the Best in Your Child and You
New Trier High School, Northfield Campus, Cornog Auditorium