The Bubbe Diaries Audiobook By Paula Span cover art

The Bubbe Diaries

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The Bubbe Diaries

By: Paula Span
Narrated by: Paula Span
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When New York Times columnist Paula Span found out she was going to become a grandmother, she went in search of the perfect grandparenting guide but came up short. Where was Dr. Spock for the silver-haired set? In The Bubbe Diaries, Span picks up where Spock left off. She passes along the latest research on sleep, safety, and bonding; explores why mother-in-laws can have tension with daughter-in-laws; and shows how Boomers are finding their own way through grandparenting. Along the way, she shares sweet (and funny) stories about helping to raise her own young granddaughter.

"Listening to The Bubbe Diaries is like sitting down with a friend and fellow grandmother, chatting candidly about what it means to be a grandparent, how the role evolves in each family (and why it's important to talk to the parents about everyone's expectations for that), trips to the playground, long childcare days, playtime and virtual grandparenting, alongside more weighty matters like family estrangement and even death.” (Julie Pfitzinger, Nextavenue.org)

©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC. Grandparenting Parenting & Families Relationships Funny Witty

About the Creator and Performer

Paula Span, a veteran journalist, writes the New Old Age and Generation Grandparent columns for The New York Times. A former Washington Post reporter, she teaches at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Magazine, Washingtonian, Glamour, Esquire, USA Today and other publications. She is the author of When the Time Comes: Families with Aging Parents Share Their Struggles and Solutions, published by Hachette.
Photo Credit: Du Linh Tu

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Personal Anecdotes • Practical Advice • Soothing Voice • Insightful Research • Heartwarming Stories • Inviting Tone
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This was a really fun dive into the nuances, and some unspoken rules, of becoming and being a grandparent. Told in a humorous way, even interspersed with facts and figures. It's easy to find comparisons to your own, or someone you knows, life. Written in small chapters for easy stop and go listening.

A Must Read (Listen) for Grandparents

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I always look forward to Ms Span’s missives in the New York Times. Her book is more of the same thoughtful, reassuring; real-life musings on what makes a family and how to go forward when things are changing - normal changes, like your child having a child of their own, and not-so-normal changes, like this pandemic. She is so measured and kind, you may find yourself wishing you had such a bubbe in your life. Well, I did, anyway. Highly recommended, excellent advice, and a lovely gift for any grandparent.

Wonderful musings about becoming a grandparent

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I enjoyed listening to this book. it was engaging. these days, that's what I value most in an audiobook. as a 20-something female not intending to have children, it was still an insightful topic, and will open up conversations with my family. I will recommend to friends with children and in-laws, maybe they'll gain some insight how to handle new grandparents.

unexpectedly good and informative

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I've read and loved Paula Span's Generation Grandparent column in the New York Times since its inception. Hearing her wise and funny words come together as one cohesive meditation on grandparenting --especially in Span's steady, reassuring voice--takes the experience to another level. As a not-yet grandparent, I see the Bubbe Diaries not as a "grandparenting manual" but as a gentle and honest love letter to the grandparenting journey, alerting us to the wonders that may very likely lie ahead, the challenges adult children and their parents will probably face, and how we can make the most of this extraordinary chapter in so many of our lives. Yes, it's a perfect expectant grandparent gift. But I think parents themselves will eat it up, too.

The Perfect Gift for Expectant Grandparents

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delightfully pragmatic. smiles, tears, sweet memories. gratitude for sa childhood full of grandparents & great- grandparents. anticipation of being a bubble myself
thank you, paula

thank you

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I wish I had a chance to listen to this book 15 years ago. Among other things I should have given more thought to my name. One family calls me one thing and two others call me another! The author is entirely correct in mentioning that the real parents bring up kids entirely different than we were brought up. it doesn't matter how much time you spend with them it's entirely different . She makes many many valid points. It's worth a listen or read! whether you're becoming a grandparent for the first time or are experienced.

VERY enlightening listen!

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A contemporary and comprehensive audible listen packed with info from divorce to covid19 that all grandparents will benefit from; In addition to resources, expert opinions, etc. Good person to follow.

A must contemporary primer for all Grandparents

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Grandparenting can be grand, fun with the little ones without the burden of parental responsibility. But as Span unfolds the subject in clear, sensible terms not lacking in humor and empathy, we understand the pitfalls, the boundaries, the shifts as the grandkids grow. Her engrossing narrative weaves the personal with insightful comments from experts in the field of family relations. Take this journey with a veteran journalist who’s also a down-to-earth Bubbe herself.

A Real Bubbe (And Smart Reporter) Tells All

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Beautifully read and written. I can relate to having to be fit if a grandparent is going to be involved in a grandkids life regularly. I appreciate this books research and anecdotes. Humorous, serious, and thoughtful. A delight!

Beautiful

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This is such a special series of stories. Paula Span is the perfect guide to grandparenting — she’s a beautiful storyteller and she never presumes to know it all, although after listening to her diaries, you’ll trust her judgment as least as well as your own. There are so many memorable anecdotes from the front lines, about: grandparent-parent diplomacy, the moment a grandchild bonds with you, what you say when a grandchild asks you if you’re going to die, how Boomers have changed grandparenting (and how they’ve tried but failed to change it). It’s all wise, very witty and brimming with love. I laughed many times and also needed some tissues along the way. Span’s voice is very inviting. I’d describe it as real—no pretense, no hyperbole. She lets her stories speak for themselves. Any grandparent will absolutely love The Bubbe Diaries. But I also feel certain that parents —as the middle-persons between grandparents and their grandchildren—will love it. They’ll recognize themselves, their kids and their parents in many of the stories. And who knows? Maybe they, too, will learn valuable wisdom from Bubbe.

The best! Everyone should listen.

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