Caring Grandparents Insights from Neil Taft EP - 244
Release Date: 11/07/2025
Stop Fixing, Start Facilitating: The Secret to Being a Great Grandpa: With Perry Solomon EP - 279
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
What if one of the most important things a grandfather can do for his grandchildren is stop telling them what to do? On this episode of The Cool Grandpa Podcast, I sit down with Perry Solomon, author of , to talk about intentional grandfathering, following children's interests, building grit, and helping grandchildren become confident, independent problem solvers. Perry brings more than 20 years of grandfathering experience to the conversation. His approach is simple but powerful: be attentive, listen, provide opportunities, facilitate experiences, and let grandchildren make decisions for...
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The Bridge to Your Grandchildren: Neil Taft on Building Family Relationships EP - 278
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
The Bridge to Your Grandchildren: Why the Path Runs Through Their Parents What if the best way to build a stronger relationship with your grandchildren is to start with their parents? Neil Taft returns to The Cool Grandpa Podcast to talk about his new book, The Bridge to Your Grandchildren: What Their Parents Want You to Know. Neil is a longtime grandparenting author, speaker, founder of Caring Grandparents, and a returning guest on the podcast. His work focuses on helping grandparents build meaningful relationships across generations while navigating the complicated dynamics that can come...
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Grandfathers Raising Young Women: Building Confidence, Resilience & Character EP - 277
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
What if one of the most important things you can give your granddaughter isn't advice, money, or even wisdom? What if it's simply becoming the person she knows she can call when life gets hard? In this episode of The Cool Grandpa Podcast, I explore the unique role grandfathers can play in helping their granddaughters become confident, capable, and resilient young women. From listening instead of fixing, to teaching practical skills, to showing her what a good man looks like, Grandpa's influence may be far greater than he realizes. And for the grandfathers who aren't simply involved in...
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When the Door Is Closed, Go Through the Window: With "LT" Lu EP 276
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
Shownotes What do you do when the door is closed? Do you keep pushing against it? Walk away? Or look for another way in? For LT Lu, the answer is simple: When the door is closed, go in through the window. On this episode of The Cool Grandpa Podcast, I talk with LT Lu, author of In Through the Window: On Forging Your Own Path to Success, about resilience, overcoming obstacles, finding your own path, and helping the next generation develop the confidence to solve problems for themselves. LT's story is remarkable. Born in China in the 1960s during the Cultural Revolution, LT grew up in...
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When Dad Isn't There: How Grandfathers Can Help Raise Good Men EP 274
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
When Dad Isn't There: How Grandfathers Can Help Raise Good Men When a father isn't actively involved in a boy's life, many grandfathers wonder what role they should play. Should they step in? How much influence is appropriate? How can they support their grandson without replacing his father or unintentionally undermining his mother? In this episode of The Cool Grandpa Podcast, I explore the unique opportunity grandfathers have to become steady, trustworthy men in the lives of boys growing up without an active father. Whether you're the father of the absent dad or the father of the child's...
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Best Of: The Legacy We Leave Behind | with Sylvia Liu EP - 274
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
Show Notes Can grandparents influence our lives even if we never really knew them? Author and former environmental attorney Sylvia Liu believes the answer is yes. In this fascinating conversation, Sylvia shares the remarkable stories of her two grandfathers, both generals in Nationalist China whose lives intersected with some of the most pivotal events of the twentieth century. Although Sylvia met one grandfather only once and never met the other, their courage, sacrifice, commitment to service, and love of family profoundly shaped the generations that followed. Sylvia and I also discuss...
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The 3 Biggest Challenges Grandparents Face Today EP - 273
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
The 3 Biggest Challenges Grandparents Face Today (And What the Research Says) Grandparenting is one of life's greatest blessings—but it isn't always easy. In this episode of The Cool Grandpa Podcast, Greg Payne explores three of the biggest challenges facing grandparents today, backed by current research and years of conversations with grandparents across the country. You'll discover why family estrangement has become one of the fastest-growing emotional challenges for grandparents, why millions of grandparents are unexpectedly raising grandchildren, and how relationships with adult children...
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America's First Grandfathers EP - 272
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
Show Notes: As a six-year-old boy in Louisville, Kentucky, I celebrated America's Bicentennial in 1976 with parades, flags, and neighborhood celebrations. Fifty years later, that little boy is now a grandfather himself, reflecting on what it means to leave a lasting legacy. In this special Independence Day episode, we look at a side of America's Founding Fathers that rarely makes it into the history books: their roles as grandfathers, mentors, and family men. What can Thomas Jefferson teach us about being present with our grandchildren? What does George Washington show us about family by...
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The Biggest Aging Myths with Eileen Kopsaftis EP - 271
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
What if most of what we've been told about aging is simply wrong? In this episode of The Cool Grandpa Podcast, I sit down with wellness expert, physical therapist, educator, and author Eileen Kopsaftis to discuss why decline is not an inevitable part of aging. Drawing on decades of experience helping people improve mobility, reduce pain, and restore function, Eileen shares practical strategies that grandparents can use to stay active, independent, and fully engaged with their families. From nutrition and hydration to movement, mindset, and community, this conversation challenges the...
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The Hidden Power of Encouraging Dads - EP 270
The Cool Grandpa Podcast
Show Notes As grandfathers, we often focus on our grandchildren, and rightly so. But one of the most effective ways to positively influence our grandchildren may be to encourage the fathers raising them. In this Father's Day episode, I discuss the unique role grandfathers can play in supporting sons and sons-in-law as they navigate modern fatherhood. Drawing from personal experience and observations, I explore the challenges fathers face today, the importance of encouragement, and how grandfathers can offer wisdom without becoming controlling. You'll learn practical ways to strengthen...
info_outline“Thou shalt honor the parents of your grandchildren. That’s the most effective way to build lasting family relationships.”
— Neil Taft
🧩 Episode Summary
In this heartfelt and insightful episode, I reconnect with author and grandparenting expert Neil Taft to explore the evolving role of grandparents in modern families. Neil shares insights from his newest book, Caring Grandparents, and explains how grandparents can both care about and care for their grandchildren.
We discuss the emotional and financial realities of grandparents raising grandchildren, the importance of respecting family boundaries, and Neil’s viral TikTok moment that reached over 2 million people. His message — “Honor the parents of your grandchildren” — has become a mantra for building healthy, lasting family relationships.
You will walk away with wisdom on communication, compassion, and the power of being a “good seer and good sayer.”
💡 Key Takeaways
- Grandparenting today means balancing love, support, and boundaries.
- “Caring Grandparents” highlights both caring for and about grandchildren.
- Over 2.5 million U.S. households are led by grandparents raising grandchildren.
- Neil’s viral message reminds us: “The mother is the queen who holds the keys to the castle.”
- Healthy grandparenting starts with empathy, communication, and affirmation.
- Being a “good seer and good sayer” transforms relationships across generations.
🔗 Links & Resources
- Click on this link to download your free copy of The Caring Grandparents Connection Guide: https://cool-grandpa.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Caring_Grandparents_Connection_Guide.docx
- 🖥️ Visit Neil’s website: CaringGrandparents.com
- 📚 Learn more about Neil’s books: Good to Great, Grandparenting & Caring Grandparents
- 🎧 Listen to previous episode: Good Seer, Good Sayer: https://cool-grandpa.us/2024/09/26/ep-201-good-seer-good-sayer/
- Visit Dr. Kerry Byrnes' group at https://thelongdistancegrandparent.com/
- Check out Aaron Larson's community at: https://www.grandparentsacademy.com/
- Of course, you're going to want to find Popa Jammie, aka James Lott Jr., on his YouTube channel using this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJbunerNsVDOMLCrInkAzow
- You can watch this conversation with me and Neil on YouTube by using this link: https://youtu.be/wTsihHEsoDk
🌐 Follow The Cool Grandpa Podcast: cool-grandpa