Nancy French's Joyful Grandparenting Lessons & Living Like Tomorrow Isn't Guaranteed

How Do We Shape Future Generations Well?

Nancy French returns to The Good Faith Podcast with host Curtis Chang for a heartfelt, funny, and surprisingly practical conversation about how grandparenting reshapes your view of hope, kids and screens, grief, and what's worth doing with the time you have—even is that just means "robbing a bank with a Barbie." This conversation isn't just for grandparents: it's for anyone mentoring, parenting, teaching, or influencing the next generation, with practical wisdom on choosing connection, naming loss honestly, and creating space for kids to grow "analog" and resilient. Nancy also explains why legacy and being remembered aren't the point—what matters is faithfully loving the people in front of you and passing on stability, courage, and hope that outlasts you.

02:05 - Why Did Nancy Choose a Year as Primary Caregiver To Her Grandpkids?

07:44 - No screens and the value of analog, imaginative play.

13:15 - Preserving Children's Natural Hope

14:26 - Navigating Difficult Topics with Children

17:14 - The Value of Letting Children Experience Loss

23:09 - Creativity and Storytelling with Grandchildren

25:51 - Introducing Real-World Conflicts in Play

29:19 - Grandparents as Links to Family Legacy

34:53 - George Eliot: The Value of Unremembered Acts

36:18 - Living with Cancer and Embracing the Present

42:30 - Grandparenting from a Distance

45:27 - Encouragement to Focus on fun, connection, and Presence Rather Than Legacy

Episode Companion: A Guide for Grandparents & All Those Influencing The Next Generation

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Demographic research: Grandchildren's spatial proximity to grandparents and intergenerational support in the United States
• Jennifer F. Cross, M.D.: Why screen time should be limited for kids
• The Child Mind Institute: The Power of Pretend Play for Children
• Chicago's Harold Washington Library
• Curtis Chang's The Anxiety Opportunity: How Worry Is the Doorway to Your Best Self
• Nancy French & Curtis Chang's The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics
• Nancy French's Ghosted: An American Story
• George Eliot's Middlemarch (epubs)
• More about Secretary of State Cordell Hull

More From Nancy French:

• Nancy French's website
• Nancy French on instagram
• Nancy French on Threads

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The Good Faith Podcast is a production of a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization that does not engage in any political campaign activity to support or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by any guests on this program are solely those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Good Faith.