Rosa María Carranza, who has dedicated over three decades to child development, faces disenrollment from Medicare due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which affects lawfully present immigrants.
Living with family as an adult is often framed as a "failure to launch," but navigating grief at home with my mom and younger sister helped me rethink growth. Living at home in my 20s wasn't easy at first, but after my dad died, living together became a lifeline that transformed my understanding of what adulthood truly means.
I was considering retiring after I turned 80, but the cost of geriatric care is high. My sister and ex-wife both require care. My sister is in full-time memory care, and my ex-wife has needed more care over the past two years after a dementia diagnosis, so I decided to keep working. I'm trying to help support them, whether it's paying the care facility directly or paying them to provide some support or outside nurses.
Grandparenting today means navigating a parenting landscape that's changing faster than ever. From sleep training debates to screen-time guidelines, advice evolves quickly-and it can be hard to know when to speak up and when to step back. Thoughtfully used, artificial intelligence (AI) can be a quiet ally for grandparents, helping you stay current with evidence-based parenting guidance, sort through worries before they escalate, and choose language that supports rather than undermines your adult children.
I watched my neighbor pull into his driveway yesterday evening. Engine off. Lights still on. Just sitting there in the driver's seat, hands still on the wheel, staring straight ahead at his garage door. Ten minutes passed before he finally opened the car door and headed inside. I get it. I've been that guy. For forty years, I was an electrician. Started as an apprentice at eighteen, straight out of high school.
"My kids are so invested in their children it's beautiful! They use gentle parenting techniques, even with challenging personalities; provide them with healthy outlets and nurture their friends as well. They're 100% better than I was - but I had to do it alone with five children. I'd choose my kid's parenting over mine, every time!" - Anne W.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dorenne Simonson, 66, who is her granddaughter's kinship care provider in New Jersey. Simonson has parented her since she was two months old. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. I've always been in a situation where I had to spend whatever I made. There's no retirement account when you're single and raise five kids by yourself.
