I spent every summer with my grandparents in a small town. I got to be more independent than I could at home.

The author (right) learned a lot about money from her grandmother. Courtesy of Ashley Archambault I spent every summer with my grandparents in South Dakota. I searched for my late mother in the places and traditions she loved. I eventually realized I was getting to know her through my grandmother. I spent two weeks with my grandparents in the Midwest every summer until I was in high school. They lived in a small town in South Dakota. While my grandma worked at the hospital during the day a...