Welcome to GaGa Sisterhood

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Guide For Grandmas

When Being A Grandma Isn't So Grand

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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.

The Secret to Hard Boiling Eggs

By Donne Davis | April 25, 2011

Today I put a pot of boiling eggs on the burner on high and left the kitchen, forgetting to set my timer. “Granny” had an expression for avoiding kitchen disasters.

Read More »

Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie

By Donne Davis | April 13, 2009

My 6-year old granddaughter laughed out loud over the little girl who keeps changing back and forth from Sourpuss to Sweetie Pie.

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 »

How to Give Your Grandchildren Career Advice

By Donne Davis | January 17, 2018

Engage in two-way dialogues to promote the best kind of career advice. Rather than spout lectures or reel off “should” statements about what career your grandchild should choose.

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Being Present with Grandkids vs. Entertaining Them

By Donne Davis | January 30, 2013

As grandparents, we often think we have to entertain our grandchildren when we’re together. But sometimes, just “going with the flow and no place to go” can be better.

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How Do You Handle Disappointment?

By Donne Davis | November 4, 2014

We must learn to handle life’s disappointments with each new experience. Here are tips to get you through disappointments that happen during the holidays.

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Website Pairs Surrogate Grandparents With Parentless Parents

By Donne Davis | November 18, 2013

Christene wanted her daughter to have grandparents, so she started the website surrogategrandparenting.com, which matches parentless parents with surrogate grandparents.

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Grandparenting During the Pandemic

By Donne Davis | October 12, 2020

Dr. Ken Canfield of Grandkids Matter has been polling grandparents about their feelings and experiences during the pandemic. He shares three behaviors that have been most helpful in keeping perspective during the pandemic.

Read More »

GaGa Sisterhood Reaches 1,000 Facebook Likes

By Donne Davis | June 13, 2017

Hooray!! This week the GaGa Sisterhood achieved a new milestone — we reached over 1,000 Facebook page “likes!” We’re excited about our growing popularity and look forward to achieving the next 1,000 “likes.” Thank you, loyal readers, “likers,” and “sharers” for helping to spread the “gaga-spel.” We appreciate your comments, too. Stay tuned for more […]

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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.

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Limiting Children’s Cell Phone Use

By Donne Davis | November 18, 2014

Smart phones and technology are a tremendous asset to our lives, but overuse can take away from real world experiences like reading and being outdoors. How do you limit use without conflict?

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The Colorful Journey of Success

By Donne Davis | October 12, 2012

Clare Mullin, host of The Colorful Journey of Success, turned her disabilities into abilities by launching a new career as a motivational speaker, TV talk show host/producer, and media coach.

Read More »

Wondrous Child Anthology Captures Diversity of Contemporary Grandparenting

By Donne Davis | March 19, 2012

Wondrous Child: The Joys and Challenges of Grandparenting is a new anthology of 29 vivid essays by grandparents and grandchildren from diverse backgrounds.

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Build Traditions with Your Grandchildren

By Donne Davis | July 17, 2017

Grandparents play an important role in the family by creating rituals and traditions with their grandchildren that share their values. These traditions you share now will build the bonds that will help your relationship endure and provide wonderful memories after you’re gone.

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Vacation Journals Save Precious Memories

By Donne Davis | August 21, 2009

Journaling can save precious memories for future generations. I kept a journal of our recent family vacation to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

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Thanksgiving Fun for the Grandkids

By Donne Davis | November 14, 2017

If you’ve got grandkids coming for Thanksgiving dinner, here are some fun Thanksgiving activities to keep them entertained at the table.

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Rethinking Stranger Danger

By Donne Davis | July 17, 2012

Here’s a guest post by Lenore Skenazy, host of Discovery/TLC International’s “World’s Worst Mom,” who claims that “stranger danger” is a harmful concept to preach.

Read More »

What Moms Want from Grandparents

By Donne Davis | October 24, 2016

I surveyed over 50 moms and asked them what they want from the grandparents. Most of their poignant responses fell into two categories: they want respect and empathy.

Read More »

Grandparenting With Heart Inspires Meaningful Conversations

By Donne Davis | December 2, 2015

Several years ago, author Juliet Rothman’s 13-year old granddaughter told her about her first date and then asked Juliet to describe her first date. At that moment she realized that our lives matter to our grandchildren as much as theirs do to us. She was inspired to write her book, Grandparenting with Heart: . . […]

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Have a Happy, Safe and Unleaded Halloween

By Donne Davis | October 29, 2009

I hate to be the ogre in your Halloween festivities – The Center for Health, Environment & Justice has a scary Halloween warning: face paint and masks contain harmful chemicals

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

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