Robin Marantz Henig

Martin parr / Magnum photos
One of the sweetest parts of being a grandparent is being invited by your own adult children to spend time with your grandkids. But the invitation comes with a few conditions, and in even the most loving families, grandparents ignore these rules on a regular basis.

Vincent Migeat / Agence VU / Redux
I didn’t feel weepy the first time I hugged my two granddaughters postvaccination. What I felt instead was a softening, a physical relief, a deep sense that things could be normal again, as I sank down to the floor with the 2-year-old and let her nestle into my lap. This relief, I thought, is what a vaccine has given me.