The Grandparenting Effect

“Let’s get ‘RE&AL’ about grandparenting is the mantra of The Grandparenting Effect: ‘Relationally Engaged’ and ‘Always Listening’! Well-documented research, thoughtful advice, engaging stories from a wide variety of grandparenting situations, helpful chapter summaries, ideas for grandchildren from toddlers to adults—plus prayers and bridge stories as well as timely help for conversations with grandchildren about race and cultural differences—this is an insightful and practical book for grandparents (volunteers, too!), pastors, and church educators to bridge the generational gap with wisdom and joy!”


—Robbie F. Castleman, author of Parenting in the Pew





“The most influential member of my extended family was my mom. Her influence lives on in her thirteen grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. Every time the family is together, stories about how Grandma influenced our lives fly around the room. This wide influence was born from, and is carried in, stories. In The Grandparenting Effect Trevecca Okholm gives vision for cherishing, cultivating, and appropriating family stories. Marinated in the wisdom of real life, it is both enlightening and encouraging!”


—Todd Hunter, Bishop, Churches for the Sake of Others





“Full of memory and meaning, Okholm offers an alternative paradigm for those who care for children and desire to help them build bridges between faith and the culture we live in. Well-researched with contemporary studies, The Grandparenting Effect is chock-full of ideas, prayers, Scripture, and stories that are both heart-warming and heart-breaking. This book will benefit Christian educators, parents, and grandparents (and the children they love) for years to come.”


—Sharon Ely Pearson, grandmother, Episcopal Christian educator, and author of Call on Me: A Prayer Book for Young People





“Professor Okholm describes, in practical, inspirational, and often humorous ways, grandchild activities that do far more than entertain—they result in moments that matter. As a grandparent of twelve myself, I have come away with a desire to create more occasions where the grandchild is invited into what the author calls ‘sacred space’ and ‘holy time.’ This is a book that reminds us, delightfully, of what matters most in life. I highly recommend it.”


—Robert L. Millet, Professor Emeritus of Religious Education, Brigham Young University





“My role as founder of Legacy Coalition forces me to stay up to date on current resources on Christian grandparenting. Trevecca Okholm’s new book, The Grandparenting Effect, is simply one of the best I have read. It is wonderfully balanced with personal stories, prayers, practical suggestions, and new insights. I learned a lot in reading it, and I will be a better grandfather because of it. I give it my highest recommendation!”


—Larry Fowler, founder of The Legacy Coalition





“Being a grandparent just may be your greatest legacy. I read this book through the grid of being a grandparent and I loved it. I have read other grandparenting books and this one comes from a unique and refreshingly different angle. I loved the stories of others and the insight on each page. I’ve already started using some of the principles I learned with my own grandchildren.”


—Jim Burns, President, HomeWord, and author of Doing Life With Your Adult Children





“Trevecca Okholm knows firsthand the joys and privileges of being a grandparent, and it’s evident throughout this book. Filled with countless helpful, encouraging anecdotes, Trevecca’s research enriches this volume by including historical and contemporary prayers, spiritual practices from a range of faith traditions, and activities for grandparents to do with their grands of various ages. Now that my eight grandchildren are older, this book will be very helpful with my two great grands. Relationships between generations of the faith family will be deepened by Okholm’s work.”


—Scottie May, Associate Professor Emerita, Wheaton College





“Trevecca Okholm has a long history of serving the church and the academy. In The Grandparenting Effect, she shares what she has learned through years of study and her experiences as a grandmother. Written in a very personal and conversational style, Okholm encourages us to take an active role in the faith life of our grandchildren, gives concrete suggestions, and shares inspirational examples of people who have done it well.”


—Robert J. Keeley, Professor of Education, Calvin University





“Trevecca has written a compelling, yet winsome invitation for parents of all ages and stages to ‘re-member’ the significance of our stories in building bridges and planting the seeds of faith. She provides honest, sometimes messy and painful stories from ordinary people like you and me as a way of reminding us of the importance of being authentic and intentional about our traditions, rituals, and storytelling by embracing celebratory moments as well as those involving grief and failure. Chock-full of practicable suggestions on how the church can become family for one another, this timely book is both comforting and challenging.”


—Leslie F. Thyberg, Trinity School for Ministry, member of ACNA’s Committee for Catechesis





“Trevecca’s beautiful prose, poignant prayers, spiritual insights, and practical suggestions make this book exciting, anticipatory reading for those just beginning the grandparenting journey. Perhaps more importantly, it is an encouraging reminder for those struggling in disconnected families that God is still at work in the world, using grandparents as powerful, redemptive influences in the lives of grandchildren in need of hope.”


—Holly Allen, Professor of Family Studies and Christian Ministries, Lipscomb University