• Dale Atkins is a psychologist, and says she learned how to be a grandparent from her mom.
• Grandparents should give without expectations, she says.
• Acknowledging generational differences and letting kids’ interests lead can grow positive relationships.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dale Atkins, author of “The Turquoise Butterfly.” It has been edited for length and clarity.

I learned everything I know about being a grandparent from watching my own mother with my sons. She loved spending time with my kids, doing anything and everything they wanted to do. We were lucky that she was active and engaged until she died at 98.

Today, I’m 77, and I’m a grandmother myself to six teenagers and young adults — all of whom remember their great-grandmother. As a psychologist, I’m very interested in intergenerational relationships. They have so much potential, but can also be fraught with challenges.

I use these six steps to build healthier relationships.

Let the children’s interests lead

The best way to build rapport with your grandchildren is by simply showing up and showing interest. My mother did this, traveling to swim meets and holiday parties, even when she would have rather been in her garden. Even if you’re not interested in the same things as your grandkid, it’s OK to pretend — they’ll appreciate it.

If you’re sharing an experience, like taking your grandkid to a museum, don’t try to teach. Instead, sit back and see what catches their interest. Later, bring that up and see where the conversation leads.

Focus on support, above all else

The role of a grandparent is to support their children and grandchildren. Really try to understand how you can be helpful. Sometimes, that means putting your own wants aside.

I worked with a mother of three who was planning her daughter’s birthday. One grandmother visited from far away, and the little girl was fascinated with her, like a new toy. The local grandmother was so upset at being second fiddle that she sulked through the party, adding to the stress for the mother. Ultimately, the grandmother’s selfish behavior only damaged her own relationship with her daughter.

Give without expectations

It’s OK to have expectations in a relationship, but they can create conflict if they’re not clearly articulated. I see this all the time between grandparents and their own children. A grandparent might feel that paying for a child’s schooling gives them the entitlement to critique educational decisions, for example.

If you choose to give, it’s best not to expect anything in return. If you do expect something — like weekly family dinners in exchange for occasional babysitting — convey that to your family, and have an honest conversation. It’s OK to ask for things, but not to demand or threaten.

Recognize generational differences

When we’re talking about grandparents and grandkids, we’re discussing people who come from different eras, belief systems, and cultural traditions. It’s essential to acknowledge that each family member — child, parents, and grandparents — brings their own unique experiences.

Some experiences and values we’re able to share. Others, we’re not. It can be frustrating if your grandchildren aren’t interested in a story you feel is important, but oftentimes, they can’t understand it the same way you can, having lived through it.

Tell stories in small bites

Older people are the keepers of memories, and we often feel pressure to pass those stories on to the next generations. Yet, for many children, these stories are boring. Instead of launching into a family history lesson, share little snippets that really pique the kids’ interests. If you leave them wanting more and sharing the history, it will become more fun for all of you.

Ask more questions

Whether it’s with your grandkids or children, asking more questions is always beneficial. Instead of saying “That’s not how we did it in my day,” ask with genuine curiosity about a new parenting approach you’re seeing. If you truly want to know more, your family will recognize that and be happy to share.

• After living in Switzerland for five years, I’ve watched tourists make a lot of the same mistakes.
• Don’t try to see too many places in one trip, and try visiting some smaller mountain villages.
• Become at least a little familiar with the local languages and book your train tickets in advance.

Though I’m a US citizen, I’ve spent the past five years living in Switzerland.

As a semi-recent transplant, I know there’s much more to this amazing country than what visitors typically come to see. It’s one best experienced thoughtfully and authentically — not by mindlessly racing through “Top 10 ” lists.

In terms of mistakes tourists make, here are a few things I suggest you know — and avoid — before visiting Switzerland for the first time.

You’ll probably regret only visiting the Instagram-popularized spots.

Zermatt, Lauterbrunnen, Interlaken, and Lucerne are popular, jaw-dropping locations, but they’re not the only spots worth visiting in Switzerland.

Instead of only seeing the few places on every tourist’s list, consider branching out to smaller, lesser-visited ones for at least a day trip. Fortunately, many are easily accessible by public transportation out of some of the area’s main hubs.

For example, close to Interlaken are the mountain villages of Frutigen, Kandersteg, and Adelboden, which offer gorgeous alpine views combined with fewer crowds and more authentic experiences.

Don’t assume the dining-out culture and prices will be what you’re used to back home.

In Switzerland, dining out can seem expensive — in part because the cost of production, labor, and relevant service charges are typically already included in the price of the meal.

Personally, I find the prices easier to stomach when I remember you’re often paying for high-quality, regional fare, and restaurant staff here are typically earning a fair wage.

And although tipping servers 15% to 20% of a bill is standard practice in places like the US, it’s not the norm here. If you enjoyed the meal and the service, it’s customary to round up a few francs or leave a tip between 5% and 10%.

Make your train reservations in advance.

Switzerland is a popular travel destination throughout the year, and its major attractions can fill up quickly — especially seats on our world-famous scenic routes.

If you plan on riding the Glacier Express or Bernina Express, book your train tickets as far in advance as possible.

However, don’t fret if you realize it’s too late to book a seat on a scenic route. You’ll be just fine on our “regular” trains, which tend to run faster, not book up as quickly, and still offer beautiful views.

Speaking of trains, don’t get fined for sitting in the wrong class.

When traveling by train, it’s important to double-check your ticket class and location. (And, if you have a paper ticket, get it validated.)

Signage indicating first or second class can be found both outside and inside each car. Oftentimes, the class is also noted on the headrests of the seats themselves.

Ticketing agents on board will not hesitate to issue an on-the-spot fine for tourists seated in the wrong class. In addition to a fine of about 100 francs, you’ll also have to pay the difference in price for the ticket.

Also, pay attention to where your seats are before entering each car so you won’t have to lug an oversized suitcase through the entire train.

Switzerland is small, but I don’t advise trying to cram everything into a short trip.

Switzerland is one of the smallest countries in Europe, at about 16,000 square miles. However, I’ve seen tourists mistakenly assume they can just zip through and see everything it has to offer in just three or four days.

For example, Zurich may seem close to Geneva on a map, but they are actually about three hours apart by train. Sure, you could also opt for a one-hour flight — but my point is that trying to see so many cities in a short period won’t allow you to truly get a feel for each.

Travel is about experiencing a place, not just visiting to check it off a bucket list. If you’ve only got a week in Switzerland, I suggest you limit yourself to exploring two or three cities instead of trying to cram six or seven single-night stays in new places into your itinerary.

Become at least a little familiar with the local languages and commonly used symbols.

Switzerland is composed of 26 cantons, and each of these administrative regions has its own distinct culture, government, and history. They also don’t all speak the same languages.

Although you’ll find English speakers throughout the country — especially in popular tourist areas — Switzerland actually has four official languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh.

It’s helpful to learn a few basic greetings in those major languages and ensure you use them in the appropriate region.

Also, it’s handy to become familiar with some of the commonly used symbols — especially when it comes to trash cans.

The Swiss are conscientious recyclers, so take a beat to look up the symbols printed on the bins before tossing something in them if you are confused. Your mindfulness will be appreciated

• Denise Warner is a 52-year-old living in England who previously resided in Niagara, New York.
• Her dad used to sit with a couple of beers, playing commentator while the kids played on the street.
• After her dad’s death, a friend sent a yearly photo of the last pack of beer they drank together.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Denise Warner. It has been edited for length and clarity.

For the last 39 years, I’ve had the same photo either emailed or texted to me on every single February 18^th, the date my dad died.

It’s a photo of an old, unopened can of Miller Lite sitting in the fridge, from my dad’s best friend, Tommy. It’s from the last pack of beers they shared together.

My dad would watch us play on the street

When I was a young teenager, Tommy, who worked with him at a factory in Niagara, New York, and my dad would sit on lawn chairs in our open, single-car garage with a couple of beers, watching me and all the neighborhood kids play sports.

We had a huge yard, and all the kids — several of whom were family members of mine — gathered at my place to play softball, football, baseball, hockey, and basketball. Dad and Tommy would provide a running commentary, always super funny.

I adored my dad as a teenager, but we hadn’t always been close.

As a young child, I don’t remember seeing my dad a lot — he was always working at the factory or at sporting events after dinner. I often wondered where he was.

But when my mom moved to Florida when I was 14 to open a restaurant, traveling back and forth between the two locations, it forced my dad and me into a closer relationship.

I remember watching football with him, ordering pizza on repeat for dinner, and him learning to cook. He perfected his Fettuccini Alfredo recipe — it’s still the best I’ve ever had.

Once, I skipped school with friends, hoping we wouldn’t get caught by anyone in the street. The doorbell rang while we were watching daytime soap operas, and when I looked out the window, I saw my dad’s friend Joey, who owned a pizzeria, outside holding a pizza. He told me my dad had ordered it for us. How he knew we had skipped school — I still will never know.

During these years, my love for my dad grew exponentially.

He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer

So when he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer when I was 18, I was devastated. He was only 43. He’d had a lot of stomach problems for years, but wouldn’t go to the doctor. When he finally did, they said he had a tumor at the base of his stomach, where it meets the esophagus. When they opened him up to operate, they decided it was too big to operate on. They started him on chemo and radiation, but months later, he died.

Tommy was the one who drove my family home from the hospital after Dad breathed his last breath.

Soon after, Tommy sent me a photo of the beer can. It was part of the last pack of beers he’d bought to drink with my dad in the garage. He now sends me the same photo every year on the day my dad died.

I have great memories with my dad

February 18 could be a sad day for me every year, a reminder of my dad’s death. But instead, it’s a reminder of the endless happy memories I had in our front yard with my dad. I honestly can’t recall one bad memory from those years when it was just my dad and me.

As an adult, I appreciate that it was my dad out there on the streets playing with us kids. Other parents have been doing very responsible things in the house — working, cleaning, or sorting — but dad was where the fun was at.

Everyone knew him, and everyone loved him. And that beer can is a yearly reminder of just how special my dad was. Such a simple gesture — sending that photo — but it has kept my dad’s memory alive for nearly 40 years.

• Karoline Leavitt, 28, is the youngest-ever White House press secretary.
• She worked for Kayleigh McEnany and Rep. Elise Stefanik before joining Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
• She is married to 60-year-old real-estate developer Nicholas Riccio and has a son, Niko.

Karoline Leavitt landed a White House internship as a college student during President Donald Trump‘s first term. In his second term, she serves as the youngest-ever White House press secretary.

A former college athlete who spent her summers scooping ice cream in New Hampshire, Leavitt, 28, quickly rose through the ranks of Republican politics through communications jobs with former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik.

During her tenure as the 2024 Trump campaign‘s national press secretary, she traveled the country while pregnant and returned to work four days after giving birth to her son.

Leavitt has also acknowledged her “atypical love story” with husband Nicholas Riccio, a 60-year-old real-estate developer. The couple is now expecting their second child.

Here’s what to know about Trump’s White House press secretary.

The White House Press Office did not respond to a request for comment.

Karoline Leavitt grew up in Atkinson, New Hampshire, and went to a Catholic high school.

Leavitt’s parents owned an ice cream stand where she worked during the summers.

She attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

“Having a Catholic education really formed who I am,” she said on an episode of The Catholic Current podcast in 2021.

She continued, “It taught me discipline, it brought me closer in my own relationship with God, and it also taught me the importance of public service and giving back to your community.”

She graduated from Saint Anselm College in 2019 with a degree in politics and communication.

Leavitt was admitted to Saint Anselm College on a softball scholarship and played as an outfielder on the women’s softball team, the Saint Anselm Hawks.

Leavitt’s extra-curricular activities included founding the Saint Anselm Broadcasting Club, volunteering at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, and writing articles for the college newspaper, The Saint Anselm Crier, defending Trump’s travel ban and criticizing the “liberal media.” She also spent a semester studying abroad at John Cabot University in Rome.

In 2018, she interned at the White House during Trump’s first presidency as a presidential writer in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence.

She was the first member of her family to earn an undergraduate degree.

After graduating, she worked with then-press secretary Kayleigh McEnany in the White House Press Office.

From 2019 to 2021, Leavitt worked as an assistant press secretary, helping McEnany prepare for briefings.

When Trump left office in 2021, Leavitt took a job as Rep. Elise Stefanik’s director of communications.

Stefanik served as the House Republican Conference Chair from 2021 to 2025.

Leavitt ran for Congress in New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district in 2022.

“I could no longer sit back and watch as our conservative principles — that make America the greatest country in the world and New Hampshire the best state in the union — fall under attack,” Leavitt wrote on her campaign website of her decision to run for office.

Leavitt won the Republican primary, but lost the general election to the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Chris Pappas, who is the first openly gay man to represent New Hampshire in Congress.

In 2024, she joined Trump’s presidential campaign as his national press secretary.

Leavitt held press conferences outside Manhattan Criminal Court during Trump’s hush-money trial. Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts, but was not sentenced with any punishment due to the US Supreme Court ruling granting presidents criminal immunity protections.

Trump maintained his innocence throughout the trial and often referred to it as a “witch hunt.”

Four days after giving birth, Leavitt returned to work when Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.

Leavitt had a TV studio built in her home so that she could appear on television shortly after giving birth.

“I felt compelled to be present in this historic moment,” she told The Conservateur. “The president literally put his life on the line to win this election. The least I could do is get back to work quickly.”

After Trump won the 2024 election, he appointed Leavitt as the youngest-ever White House press secretary.

As press secretary, Leavitt established a “new media seat” in the White House briefing room reserved for podcasters, social media influencers, and other independent content creators who, “despite being some of the most viewed news websites in the country, have not been given seats in this room,” she said at a briefing.

Leavitt is married to 60-year-old Nicholas Riccio, who is more than twice her age. They share a son, Niko, and are expecting a baby girl in May.

Leavitt was introduced to Riccio, a real-estate developer, at a campaign event by a mutual friend during her 2022 run for Congress.

They announced their engagement on Christmas in 2023 and welcomed a son, Niko, on July 10, 2024.

Leavitt and Riccio wed on January 4, 2025, days before Trump’s second inauguration. Leavitt spoke about their 32-year age gap in a February 2025 interview on The Megyn Kelly Show.

“I mean, it’s a very atypical love story, but he’s incredible,” she said of Riccio, adding, “He’s the father of my child, and he’s the best dad I could ever ask for. And he is so supportive, especially during a very chaotic period of life.”

In a November interview with Miranda Devine on the podcast “Pod Force One,” Leavitt spoke about her parents’ reaction to her “unusual” relationship with Riccio, who is older than her mother.

“It’s definitely a challenging conversation to have at first,” she said. “But then, of course, once they got to know him and saw who he is as a man and his character and how much he adores me, I think it became quite easy for them.”

On December 26, Leavitt announced that she and Riccio are expecting a baby girl in May, making her the first-ever pregnant White House press secretary.

“My husband and I are thrilled to grow our family and can’t wait to watch our son become a big brother,” she wrote in an Instagram post.

• Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has called thousands of employees back to the office.
• Ellison asked staffers to work in person five days a week.
• Read Ellison’s full memo to employees after their first week of fully in-person work.

Paramount Skydance’s return-to-office push is underway, and CEO David Ellison is taking a moment to thank staffers for showing up.

Starting Monday, Paramount employees assigned to the company’s New York and Los Angeles offices were expected to return to the office five days a week, as announced by Ellison in September. (Some workers, including those who aren’t assigned to an office, are in “Phase 2” of the RTO rollout, with more details coming later this year.)

Staffers who couldn’t, or wouldn’t, make the change were offered a severance package, which the company said about 600 workers took.

“I know that returning to the office full-time has been an adjustment for many, and I truly appreciate the flexibility and commitment you’ve shown,” Ellison said in a companywide email on Friday afternoon, which was viewed by Business Insider.

Ellison added that “the positive energy and increased productivity that come from being together in-person are already evident.”

The Paramount CEO had said in a September memo announcing the five-day RTO push that “in-person collaboration is absolutely vital to building and strengthening our culture and driving the success of our business.”

In his latest missive, Ellison also thanked the “RTO Task Force” that got its offices ready for a surge of workers returning.

Paramount isn’t alone in calling its employees back to the office. Several major media companies, including Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, have asked their staff to return to in-person work.

NBCUniversal instructed thousands of employees to return to its offices starting on January 5, although it’s only requiring four days a week of in-person work. As with Paramount, staffers who didn’t want to return to the office were offered severance packages.

Read Ellison’s full memo to employees here:

Team Paramount,

As we wrap up our first week back together in our LA and NY offices, I want to thank each of you for your dedication, professionalism, and teamwork. I know that returning to the office full-time has been an adjustment for many, and I truly appreciate the flexibility and commitment you’ve shown. The positive energy and increased productivity that come from being together in-person are already evident, and it’s great to see.

A special thank you to our RTO Task Force and all the teams involved for their hard work behind the scenes to prepare for our return and to ensure the transition was smooth and welcoming for everyone.

It’s hard to believe we launched the new Paramount just five months ago, and in that short time we haven’t just set a strategy — we’ve acted on it. In the process, we’ve made real and meaningful progress against our North Star priorities. From day one, our goal has been clear: to transform Paramount for the future by championing great storytellers, investing in world-class technology, and making bold, thoughtful moves that position us to help define the next era of entertainment. That’s exactly what we’ve been doing — and it’s what we’ll continue to do together.

While the coming year will bring its share of challenges, it will also be exciting. We’ve set ambitious goals, and we’re confident we have the strategy, the momentum, and — most importantly — the team to achieve them. Your expertise, resilience, and commitment give me tremendous confidence in what we can accomplish. I am grateful for your efforts and incredibly proud to work alongside you.

Thanks again for a great first week back together. Let’s go!

Best,

David

• Donald Trump hates the media.
• Donald Trump also loves being covered by the media.
• And as much as Trump has made use of new media, like Twitter and podcasts, he is very much an old media guy.

Last fall, Donald Trump filed a $15 billion defamation suit against The New York Times. That suit is still ongoing.

On Wednesday, Trump sat down with Times reporters at the White House for a 2-hour interview, where he expounded on his worldview, conducted an off-the-record conversation with the president of Colombia, and showed off new plans to renovate the West Wing.

If that surprises you, it shouldn’t. Trump, and the rest of his administration, love to complain about the Times and other big, mainstream media outfits. They also love talking to them.

Earlier this week, for instance, key Trump advisor Stephen Miller appeared on CNN for a much-discussed interview with Jake Tapper, where he laid out a bellicose view of America’s role in the world.

A few days before that, Trump talked to The Wall Street Journal — another publication he’s currently suing — for a story about his health and fitness.

And last month Vanity Fair published a lengthy profile of Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, which involved multiple interviews with Wiles and portraits of her and other Trump officials, including Miller, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump has made mainstream media a target since he started running for president in 2015, calling reports he doesn’t like “fake news,” and labeling journalists “enemies of the people.” He’s called for a change in US libel law, so he can more easily punish journalists, and he often insists that TV networks that irk him should have their broadcast licenses revoked.

And his rhetoric and actions have ramped up in his second term, where he has banned the Associated Press from events in the Oval Office, stocked the White House briefing room with Trump-friendly outlets, and pushed out all mainstream reporters from the Pentagon.

All of that should worry anyone who cares about press freedom — or in less lofty terms, the ability of the press to accurately tell you what’s happening in the federal government.

The flip of that is quite simple: Trump is a man who grew up in a world dominated by traditional media — newspapers and television — and he still cares very much about what traditional media says about him, no matter what he says. That’s why he delights in constant press appearances in the White House, aboard Air Force One, and anywhere else reporters have cameras, microphones, and notepads.

I often think of an AP photo from last spring, shortly after he’d announced his initial, chaotic tariff plan, that shows him perusing the New York Post’s coverage of that plan in the back of his limousine. We focus a lot of attention on Trump’s ability to use Twitter, YouTube, podcasts, and other digital media to shape public perception. But he’s very much an old media guy — print, broadcast, cable.

And as long as those things still exist, Trump will want to be in them and flattered by their coverage. Which explains why he can sue them and invite them into his office at the same time.