By Mary Tudor
Look Who's Coming to Dinner
What do you do at weddings or graduations when your only grandchildren have more than two parents? How do you cope when your family is blooming with divorce and remarriage, and your ex-spouse has captured all the offspring on the holidays? Is there any "correctness" in family politics? What if Grandpa invites his new spouse to Easter dinner or July 4th picnic?
Now that the American family has weathered three generations of broken marriages, the generation that's grandparenting has delivered an amazing surprise. Once a private affair that recognized only bloodlines and marriages, the family gathering now often includes ex-spouses, in-laws, and friends.
For Singles
If family politics darken your holidays, why not try an outing where singles abound? Vicky, 60, a Sierra Club activist, entertains a dozen campers in the California desert every Thanksgiving. "The biggest challenge is to keep the stove going in the wind," says Vicky, a grandmother who can haul a 50-lb. pack and serves roast turkey with gravy, instant mashed potatoes, and cranberries at the campsite. "I see my family at other times of the year," adds Vicky, who's divorced.
