#grandparents

#grandparents

I promise, nobody's going to ask you to create a whole new house or completely babyproof every square inch of your home before your kids and grandkids come visit. However, there are a few things you can do that would ease the stress and worries of traveling for the holidays. Maybe you can't be on the plane to help your toddler grandson from crying, but you could meet them at the airport

I'm pretty close with him. I call him every couple of weeks. Usually we have a phone conversation and he asks how New York is, or school, or wherever we are. And in every single conversation he's like, "Do you have a boyfriend? Do you have a boyfriend yet? Where's your boyfriend?"

When children visit someone's house, it's a really good time to instill that they need to be polite and respect the rules of others. When you're at home it's totally different and you can expect to be much more relaxed, but when going to Grandma's, or a restaurant, or the grocery store, it's a great time to reel it in and practice our social skills.

Every year, for the last six years, my boys spend a week or two in Virginia with my in-laws at their house after the excitement of summer camp and family vacation has settled. Living five hours away from them, my kids don't get as much quality time with their grandparents during the school year as they'd like. Often, we spend winter or spring break at an Airbnb catching up with them,

I think this is more controversial or unique than I thought it was, but my take is basically: If you're watching my kid, you can do it your way,

Care and Feeding is Slate's parenting advice column. Dear Care and Feeding, Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here. My parents have always had some issues with respecting boundaries that my wife "Mia" and I set for our two boys, ages 5 and 7, but last weekend they did something that has my wife ready to cut them off for good.

In my private practice, I work with a grandmother who feels like she worries "too much" about her teenage granddaughter. She often feels that when she visits with her adult children and grandchildren, as much as she loves seeing them, she always leaves worrying more and more about things that her granddaughter is doing. Her granddaughter's struggles with friendships, her reliance on social media, and worries about her future in today's uncertain world sit squarely on this grandmother's shoulders.

My grandmother's influence continues to shape my relationships today, even after her death. Her adoration helped me develop an enduring sense of self-worth.