Most Mother’s Day reminders focus on telling our mothers how much they mean to us. But I think the ones who need it even more are our daughters and daughters-in-law, the mothers of our grandchildren. Words of praise from our mothers are important no matter how old we are. Let’s face it—we all love being appreciated and respected for the job we do. And we know that moms of young children, aren’t going to get it from their kids.

In his book, Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation, Mike Robbins says that acknowledging others is one of the best things we can do to have a positive impact on the people around us. Mother Teresa said “there is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.”

Acknowledgment is an art and a skill that anyone can learn and ultimately master, but many of us have neither taken the time nor had the interest in becoming master appreciators. Robbins lists a number of different reasons why acknowledging others can be difficult:

• We don’t want people to think we’re “kissing up” to them
• We come from a family that doesn’t openly acknowledge people
• We think people are just doing what they’re supposed to be doing, so why should we acknowledge them for that?

This Mother’s Day write or tell your daughter or daughter-in-law what a wonderful job she’s doing raising your grandchildren. Express your gratitude, thanks, and appreciation to her in a genuine way and be specific. If she’s doing a great job of feeding the kids healthy food, tell her how grateful you are that she cares about what her kids eat. If she does creative projects, compliment her on the adorable drawings your grandchildren send you. If she’s really great at comforting the baby when she cries, tell how much you admire her patience and nurturing. Focus on one of her strengths and let her know why you admire that about her.

Sometimes we get so self-absorbed we forget to notice what other people are doing and the impact they have on us. When we look for the good stuff and expect it in others, we’ll find it. Watch your daughter”s face light up when you catch her off-guard and acknowledge her for no apparent reason. You’ll touch her heart and have a profound impact on her.

To read more inspiration for Mother’s Day, visit the All About Parenting Blog Carnival.

It happens every time I return from vacation. I slip into a funk. I call it my “re-entry blahs.” My post vacation euphoria turns into post vacation blues. I never realized how common it was until I Googled “post vacation depression” and got over two million results!

You’d think practice would make perfect, but in my case it hasn’t.  Since 2003, when I retired and became a grandma, I have visited my granddaughters twice a month and stay for two nights. And when I come home,  the “transition” of getting back to my “regular” routine is always a challenge. It’s become so familiar now I just smile and remind myself I’ll be fine in a few days.

Those blahs can be even worse after a vacation. You forget about your daily responsibilities and focus on what’s the next fun thing to see, do, or eat. I’m just back from a five-day road trip to Southern California and I’ve got a bad case of  blues. So what better way to work through my funk than to research tips for beating the post vacation blues.

Allow the same number of days to recover as the number of days you were gone. Author and blogger Michael Breus, PhD says that jet lag is a natural process. It will take your body about one time zone per day to normalize.

Rules for Re-entry

1. Don’t feel compelled to unpack and attend to everything the first day. Do a little unpacking everyday and only what has to be done.
2. Ease back into your old routine slowly. Don’t expect to have a clear desk on your first day back – allow yourself to be behind and to catch up steadily. Thinking you have to tackle all those emails in one sitting can be daunting.
3. While you’re still on that vacation high, share it. Write a thank you note to someone you met on your trip or have lunch with a friend and share some of your favorite highlights.
4. Start planning your next outing. What did you like in your vacation? What worked? What made everyone happy and joyful? Build on the good memories. If you collected some good ideas while you were away, put them in your “vacation folder.”
5. Remind yourself what you’re grateful for as you return to your regular life. Reminisce, journal or scrapbook your memories and souvenirs. Download your photos and use your favorite as a screen saver.
6. When you feel depressed, take a deep breath and visualize one of the memorable moments of your vacation.
7. Eat simple fresh foods. You’ll probably crave some home-cooking after eating whatever you wanted on vacation.

Vacations help us regain our sense of spontaneity. Look for opportunities to carry on that vacation spontaneity when you’re back home. Give yourself time to unwind after a vacation because so much went on physically and mentally. Even though it was “fun,” it was also hard work. The body and mind need time to just relax and do nothing. Don’t panic when you see that pile of mail, mound of laundry, and empty refrigerator. If you recognize that it’s normal to feel some stress as you switch gears, you’ll have an easier time with re-entry and soon be back in your groove. I’m almost there.

Last year my seven-year old granddaughter was coming to stay with us for several days. In my excitement I made the mistake of asking her if she’d like to go boating on Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park—before I’d cleared it with her parents. Of course she wanted to go and said she could hardly wait.

That night I got a call from my daughter. She wasn’t sure she wanted us to go boating, but she didn’t want to be the “bad guy” and spoil our plans either. “I wish you’d asked me first,” she said. It was a perfectly reasonable request and I immediately realized my mistake. Before you discuss any plan with your grandchildren, clear it with their parents first. The rule is simple enough but we can get so caught up in our excitement we forget the importance of asking permission.
It’s also important to get an Emergency Medical Consent Form when you’re in charge of your grandchildren. Without parental permission, doctors will only treat children in life-threatening situations. There are lots of excellent forms on the Internet but all you really need are the basics:

• The child’s name
• Date of birth
• Physician’s name and phone numbers
• Insurance carrier and policy number
• Child’s medical history, including medications, allergies, blood type and chronic conditions

Then add a statement: “I give consent to any licensed physician or medical facility to give necessary medical service to my child, (CHILD’S NAME). I also give consent for my child to be transported by ambulance to an emergency center for treatment.”

Parent’s full name and signature. Notarization of such a consent is not usually required.