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MPR News with Angela Davis
Angela Davis and Maja Beckstrom

Grandparenting during the pandemic 

side by side photos of two women
Paula Span (left) is a journalist who writes the Generation Grandparent column for the New York Times. Carolyn Smallwood is CEO of Way to Grow in Minneapolis.
Courtesy photos

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Being a grandparent has gotten more complicated during the pandemic. Child care crises and school shutdowns put new pressures on young families. In many cases, grandparents helped pick up the slack by doing regular child care or supervising distance learning while parents work. 

At the same time, the risk of being exposed to COVID means many grandparents missed out on spending time with grandkids, especially earlier in the pandemic before COVID vaccines. Some have learned new ways to stay connected with Zoom storytimes and outdoor adventures. 

Host Angela Davis will talk with two grandmothers about how grandparenting is changing during the pandemic. 

Guests: 

  • Carolyn Smallwood is CEO of Way to Grow, a nonprofit organization that provides family education and support to isolated families primarily in Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park. She has two grandchildren.

  • Paula Span is a journalist and grandmother. She writes the Generation Grandparent column for the New York Times and has adapted the essays for an audiobook, “The Bubbe Diaries.” She also writes the New Old Age column for the New York Times. She lives in New Jersey and takes care of her five and half year old granddaughter every Friday.  

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.