When my mom retired from her job at Abbott Labs at age 70, I was fortunate to be there for the occasion. My husband and three children had just moved back to Chicago, where I grew up and where my parents still lived. I left home at seventeen to attend college and never thought I would return. My husband and I, with kids in tow, bounced between Boston, Nebraska, and everywhere in between. But it was our Nebraska home that my parents said they could no longer visit. The trek was too difficult. 

The Fourth of July is more than just a celebration filled with fireworks, barbecues, and parades. It marks the birth of American independence and serves as a reminder of the values the country was founded upon—freedom, justice, and equality. For grandparents, it presents a special opportunity to pass on these important lessons to their grandchildren in a way that is heartfelt, age-appropriate, and memorable. Engaging in conversations about freedom can help shape a child’s understanding of their country, their rights, and their responsibilities as future citizens.

“Men and women aren’t equal; women are better,” my dad would often proclaim with a mix of pride and playful irony. It was a stance he had to adopt, considering the formidable women who ruled his world—not only five intensely strong-willed daughters who each brought their unique spark to the family but also a family business led by a powerful matriarch, my grandmother.

I never had the pleasure of meeting the original matriarch, Maryanna, who had laid the groundwork for our family legacy, but the vibrant, blue-haired powerhouse that was my grandmother was a force to be reckoned with. She kept everyone on task, her sharp eyes missing nothing.

Father’s Day is celebrated on various dates around the world, not just the familiar third Sunday of June observed in the United States. Take Portugal, for example, where Father’s Day is on March 19th. This tradition, rooted in Catholic culture since the 1500s, celebrates St. Joseph, the patron saint of fathers.

As America gears up to celebrate its 250th birthday in 2026, this year's 4th of July offers a golden opportunity for us to start preparing the youngest generation for the milestone. It's more than fireworks and BBQ—it’s a time to reflect, connect, and teach. As grandparents, we hold a unique power to bridge the past and the future. And what better way to do that than with some old-school fun that stirs nostalgia while instilling national pride?

Father's Day is here again, and I've been reflecting—well, mostly laughing—about one specific dad role that grandpas everywhere have perfected. Long before influencers took over social media, grandpas had cornered the market as the original dad joke influencers. Believe me, as a grandma who's spent decades rolling my eyes lovingly at these jokes, I should know. Take my husband, for example. Grandpa Ira never encountered a joke he couldn't butcher or repeat endlessly, and somehow, it just gets funnier with time (at least, he thinks so!).

As children with no money to buy gifts for anyone, much less our dad, it required creative thinking.

Let's start with the beginning. My parents had five daughters and no sons. I have no doubt this initially disappointed my dad. He probably was looking forward to teaching his son everything he learned, fixing cars and appliances, and doing handyman stuff around the house. You know, like electrical and plumbing, carpentry, and house painting. Realize this was way before YouTube, my dad knew how to do these things without having to rely on learning how to repair anything from a YouTube video.

I was the firstborn. Two more baby girls came quickly after me. So tag, I was it. I was my dad's new apprentice.

If you're anything like me, you've probably stood in your kitchen, wrestling with a so-called childproof bottle, muttering under your breath. The harder you push, the more the lid seems to defy physics. Eventually, you give up and shout, "Who even invented this thing?" Meanwhile, the bottle just sits there smugly, like it's won this round. Childproof bottles—a true triumph in safety design—or are they?