Welcome to GaGa Sisterhood

Purchase Our Book
Guide For Grandmas

When Being A Grandma Isn't So Grand

Available for purchase
at these locations
Amazon
ITunes

Whether you’re a brand new grandma, a seasoned grandma or a grandma-at-heart, you’ve come to the right place. The GaGa Sisterhood has a wealth of resources for grandmas who are totally “gaga” for their grandchildren.

As the founder of the GaGa Sisterhood, I’ve been curating resources for grandmas since I first became one in 2003. I know firsthand how complicated the role can be. When you and your grandchild’s parents begin the exciting journey of welcoming this precious new being into the family, your lives will be forever changed.

You will experience the highest highs and possibly the lowest lows as you grow into your title of “Grandma” or “Nana” or “Noni” or a host of other grandma names. Whether you’re “Kiki” or “Baba,” (my grandma name,) choosing your grandma moniker may be your first big decision.

Donne Davis

Donne Davis
Founder of
GaGa Sisterhood

The content on this website includes twenty years of blog posts that offer advice on how to begin this exciting new relationship, book recommendations, ways to stay connected with your grandchildren, long-distance grandparenting advice, self-care and much more.

Be sure to click on our Resources page, where you’ll find links to our favorite grandparent websites. On our Press page, you’ll find links to podcasts and articles featuring my conversations with hosts about the ins and outs of being a grandma.

How GaGa Sisterhood Was Born

History of GaGa Sisterhood

Idea grew out of passion for becoming a grandma

My idea for GaGa Sisterhood grew out of my passion for becoming a grandma after witnessing the birth of my first grandchild, Juliet on April 26, 2003.

Immediately, I wanted to find kindred sisters who shared my enthusiasm, and boy did I! So many grandmas have graced my life over 20 years — it’s hard to quantify.
For two decades GaGa Sisterhood was a growing national membership organization. The organization provided “gaga” grandmas a place to bond, brag, and benefit.

Contact Me

Contact me if you need an article on grandparenting, a guest on your podcast or a speaker for your organization.

For more than twenty years, I’ve been writing and speaking on the joys and challenges of modern grandparents as well as the importance of rituals and traditions for families.

Drop a note to me on the Contact Form.

Over the years

From our first meeting on December 7, 2003 to our last farewell meeting on December 7, 2023, grandmas have shared their stories and touched my heart.

For two decades, the GaGa Sisterhood has always been a labor of love for me. I produced regular blog posts and newsletters for our growing audience of grandmas. Over the years, the format of the group evolved but my mission remained firm — to inspire grandmas to keep growing and learning along with our children and grandchildren.

Since COVID, it became more laborious trying to juggle two almost disparate groups — our original local Silicon Valley grandmas and our newer online community from all over the U.S. (sometimes even Australia) The other difference was the age of our grandchildren. Lots of our members felt they’ve “aged out” because their grandchildren were teenagers and older. Finding speakers and topics that appealed to all ages became more challenging.

As I faced these challenges, I realized it was time for me to step down from hosting regular meetings and bid farewell to our GaGa Sisterhood members.

20 years -December 7, 2003 to December 7, 2023

On December 7, 2023, our GaGa Sisterhood members met for our last formal meeting. While there will be some small, local franchised GaGa Sisterhood groups who will continue to meet in their local neighborhoods, we are no long continuing GaGa Sisterhood as a national online membership organization.

Going forward

Many ask me what’s next? I’ll continue to enjoy my three precious grandchildren and family. I’ll write articles and do some speaking on some of my favorite topics — the joys and challenges of modern grandparenting and rituals and traditions. I’m available for podcasts, panels and public speaking opportunities.

Contact me if you or your organization needs a speaker. I look forward to staying in touch.  Drop a note to me on our Contact Form.

GaGa Sisterhood Resources

Link to Blog- 20 years of blog posts to inspire grandmas to keep growing and learning

Link to Resources- GaGa Sisterhood’s favorite grandparent websites

Link to Media and Press Clippings - links to podcasts and articles featuring me and the GaGa Sisterhood

Ask GaGa - send a note to connect

Visit GaGa Sisterhood Blog

20 years of posts about topics grandmas need to know

Our Blog contains 20 years of grandparent focused content. Excerpts from some random posts published during the past 20 years appear below. Click on the excerpt link to read the entire post. Also you can search all the posts by Topic, when you visit our Blog Page.

Nurture Creativity in Your Grandchildren

By Donne Davis | September 27, 2010

Grandparents have the energy and resources to nurture creativity in grandchildren. The key is to let go and leave artistic and inventive decisions up to the child.

Read More »

When Adults Tease Children Everyone Loses

By Donne Davis | September 19, 2017

When adults tease children who do not know how to respond, teasing can be very harmful. Talk about how it makes the child feel and ask the teaser to apologize.

Read More »

Online Storytelling Resources

By Donne Davis | September 17, 2010

When I was growing up, I loved listening to my grandmother’s stories. Now I’m carrying on this tradition with the benefit of modern technology.

Read More »

Hands Free or Hands Off: The Cell Phone Dilemma

By Donne Davis | September 2, 2010

According to Matt Richtel, driving while texting or talking on your cell phone is the most powerful manifestation of distraction. Science is finding that it’s riskier to talk on a cell phone, even with a hands-free device, while driving than it is to talk to a passenger in your car.

Read More »

How to Announce Your Pregnancy to Grandparents

By Donne Davis | October 9, 2014

A reader sent me this cute You Tube video of a “Surprise Baby Announcement” for the new grandparents to be. It’s the most creative one I’ve ever seen.

Read More »

Motherhood Isn’t Easy

By Donne Davis | December 4, 2017

Being a mom was never easy, but for today’s moms, your world is so much more complicated than ours ever was. Here are some simple tips to help you discover what really matters.

Read More »

Do You Let Your Grandchild Win?

By Donne Davis | October 5, 2020

Playing board games and card games with your grandchild creates many opportunities for learning beyond just the game itself. One of the most important lessons is how to compete and win or lose gracefully.

Read More »

Do You Have Time for Friends?

By Donne Davis | June 18, 2010

Friendship has always been essential in my life. But since I’ve become a grandma, I have less time for my friends. A 2006 study showed that Americans have one-third fewer confidants than they did in the 1980s.

Read More »

Avoiding Favoritism Among Grandchildren

By Donne Davis | August 22, 2011

The advice I’ve read about how to avoid favoritism among grandchildren is to spend equal time with each grandchild and focus on their unique strengths and interests.

Read More »

GaGa Sisterhood Participating at the New Mom Fair

By Donne Davis | October 16, 2009

We are participating at The New Mom Fair this year on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 from 11am-3pm at the Beresford Community Center and Park located at 2720 Alameda de Las Pulgas in San Mateo, CA 94403. The New Mom Fair is a FREE event open to the public. Brought to you by The New Mom, Parenting on the Peninsula, and Bay Area Birth Information, the focus of the fair is to expose you to all of the health options available to you within your local community.

Read More »

6 Ways to Help Your Kids Pursue their Dreams

By Donne Davis | February 17, 2012

As moms and grandmas, we have such an opportunity–in our words, our tone, our actions–to help our kids’ dreams grow from tiny sparks into flames.

Read More »

Ohanarama Connects Families Online

By Donne Davis | June 23, 2011

I’m always searching for creative ways to stay connected to my granddaughters. I found Ohanarama, a safe place for grandparents and family members to play games online.

Read More »

A Time to be Grateful

By Donne Davis | December 14, 2008

a simple everyday ritual to remind us to be grateful

Read More »

Conversation with Adair Lara

By Donne Davis | April 17, 2009

On May 3, 2009 Adair Lara will speak to the GaGa Sisterhood in San Francisco and discuss her new book, The Granny Diaries.

Read More »

Grandmas Connect on Zoom

By Donne Davis | April 13, 2020

Because of the new requirements to stay home, I decided to host a GaGa Sisterhood meeting on Zoom so we could “get together” and just talk about how this new reality is affecting us.

Read More »

How to Strengthen Your Resilience

By Donne Davis | June 13, 2013

You can build your resilience by learning to be open-hearted, forgiving, vulnerable, and most importantly, developing a sense of humor to help during stressful situations.

Read More »

Boomers, Find Your Inner Artist

By Donne Davis | May 21, 2013

If you’ve dreamed of playing an instrument or becoming a writer or artist, there’s a higher likelihood of it happening in your sixties than any other time in your life, according to Francine Toder.

Read More »

Mommy’s Medicine Cabinet to the Rescue

By Donne Davis | March 31, 2011

I just discovered a new product: an organized bag of the most frequently used non-prescription medicines and first-aid products for sick or injured children.

Read More »

7 Tips to Keep The Peace between Grandparents And Parents

By Donne Davis | October 18, 2021

Mo Mulla offers advice to young parents on how to keep peace with grandparents who offer unsolicited advice.

Read More »

Grieving for a Dear Friend

By Donne Davis | August 16, 2013

This summer feels unreal. Instead of visiting my granddaughters, I pair each visit with a trip to the hospital, just a few miles from their home, to see my best friend, Marilyn.

Read More »

Testimonials

“I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed yesterday’s meeting, my first. What a lovely, dynamic bunch of women!”… Susan

“Thank you so much for the wonderful opportunity to join the GaGa sisterhood. I really enjoyed everyone and the common bond we all share in our own way as Grandmothers. It is surely a great group of women and I loved how open hearted everyone was, I felt very much at home”… Mary Beth

“I get many newsletters. By far, I’d say yours is one of the most interesting and useful” … Helga

“Usually I avoid groups, but the GaGa Sisterhood is very special and I enjoy the meetings, the subjects, and the other grandmas tremendously. Thank you for creating this group and keeping us going”… Carolyn

“Your Sisterhood organization information has been so helpful in preparing me for this unexpectedly rewarding time of life. Thank you” … Carolynn

“Thanks for sending the GaGazine. All of your tips and work are so valuable and fill such a need in uniting three generations”… Berna

“Your newsletter is consistently informative. I don’t know how you do it, but you write the best e-newsletters. I read every part of it. I am sorry that I missed this meeting, but your newsletter brought me up to date.  Thank you”… Carol

“Every meeting has offered something to take away with me ~ some little nugget of advice, some inspiration, a closer connection with another GaGa”… Susan

“You are in for lots of treats as our GaGa gatherings are always very enjoyable”… Kathleen

“After meeting all of you, I’ve been inspired by how you nurture your grandchildren and how GaGa Sisterhood is truly a place for us to be nurtured. You are a wonderful group of ladies and I am proud to have become a member”… Carol

“Your GaGazine is awesome!  Colorful, straightforward, and loaded with information”… Len

“The GaGazine is a real winner!”… Joyce

“You always produce an enjoyable must read. I look forward to every new issue. Keep up the Grand work!”… Christine

“I really had a transformative experience this afternoon! I came home and described the meeting in detail to my husband who was very interested and so pleased that I had this opportunity. The women were so open, and willing to share their experiences and caring attitudes! I will definitely join the group and hope to eventually bring some friends along too!”….Sue

“Thank you for being the very special, loving and caring person that you are. You are so generous to share your natural talents as our leader, to be better grandparents and people. We continue to learn much in many ways...from the speakers you bring to us, by the friendships and commonalities, to the fun and laughs, and even tears we share.  It is truly the very best, because of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, dear Donne”…. Carol

“You plan such lovely meetings for all of us. I have developed two new friendships from our group, for which I will be ever grateful”… Bev

“What a wonderful GaGa Sisterhood meeting! The way you organized it worked so well and the questions really generated discussion in a most meaningful way. Hats off to you for figuring out how to make it work!”… Marcia

“The GaGa Sisterhood provides not only a place to brag, bond and benefit, but also a place for support, sharing and just plain silliness as we explore who we are as active, involved and evolving grandmothers”… Susan

“I feel very fortunate to have discovered GaGa Sisterhood while visiting my daughter who recently moved to California from the East Coast where I live. I’ve attended just a couple of meetings so far but those meetings and the women I’ve met there have helped me feel more at home at “my home away from home”. Because of this, I am trying to time my future visits to the West Coast, whenever possible, to match the bi-monthly GaGa Sisterhood meetings”… Marcia

“I love the speakers who present at our GaGa Sisterhood meetings.  They are always the highest caliber professionals and they always have something really interesting to say”… Carol

“I really enjoy meeting with this group of women. They are far more informed than the grandma’s of yesteryear. Moreover, they are willing to open up, share, and be enlightened by others. The group of women is very eclectic–each woman has a unique and individual gift to bring to our circle.”… Lisa

“I enjoyed the meeting today. It felt like a comfortable, supportive and fun place to be. Thanks for organizing this group. I think it is a good fit for me and I look forward to future get togethers”… Ricka

“Great meeting. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Very supportive and collegial. Thanks for creating such a warm environment”… Berna

“Thank you for an absolutely outstanding GaGa meeting this afternoon. I feel fortunate to be a part of this lovely group of women. It was an exceptional meeting and I appreciated how honest and genuine everyone was.”… Cheri

“I loved today’s GaGa meeting, it was enlightening and ever so much fun! I can’t wait until the next one in September. So glad I am now a part of this wonderful group of Grandmas!”… Carol

“I admire the way you run the meetings, how inclusive you are, and, mostly, the fact that you created this group out of a common life event–being a grandmother” .... Miriam

“What a treat to be able to share this amazing grandmother experience with those that ‘get it!’ Such a joy!”

"Being a part of The GaGa Sisterhood is such an incredible gift! I love the intellectual stimulation and the building of new relationships. I hope you understand what an incredible experience you're offering to so many of us. You truly are a blessing and I deeply appreciate all you do to make our meetings so meaningful"  .....  Kate

"Your newsletter has great information that's given me inspiration and wisdom on my journey as a grandparent." .... Diane

"Thank you for all you do for us. You enrich our lives and expand our minds" ... LH

Scroll to Top