Dear Grandparenting: After my husband died, I began spending more time with my family and got to know my grandchildren. I especially wanted to see my granddaughters. The youngest is 10 and has her two feet on the ground. Her older sister is lost in space.

Here is what I mean. She doesn’t think ahead. She doesn’t have a plan. She is 16 and has never worked a day in her life. It’s all about being cool and sexy. If you want to talk about Kim Kardashian or Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber, you’ve come to the right place. If you want to talk about anything else, my granddaughter really isn’t all that interested. Now here’s where you need to think ahead. What will you be doing in 10 years? I find out about all these women in top management making good money. But if you’re lost in space, good luck getting anywhere with that. Do I have a problem granddaughter on my hands or what? Honey Blue, Sidney, Ohio

Dear Honey: What are we to make of granddaughters today? A sizable segment is getting down to business, taking full advantage of opportunities afforded to women that were practically unthinkable just one generation ago. The playing field is still not level — too often, women are hired and promoted on the basis of their accomplishments, while men are hired and promoted based on their potential. But the gender gap in the workplace is closing, and girls greatly outnumber guys in the college pipelines that provide fresh talent to many professions.

Then there are granddaughters who figure they can get ahead the old fashioned way — by looking good and being in style. Nearly one quarter of women ages 18 to 24 who consider themselves attractive would rather lose their ability to read than lose their figure, according to Oxygen Media polling data. Powering up the brain takes years of work and study. Powering up the computer for celebrity updates and putting on a pretty face is child’s play.

Here’s the good news. Celebrity worship typically begins to decline after age 18. If and when your granddaughter decides to get serious about life, America is ahead of most of the world when it comes to career opportunity and equality for women. Idols with substance can exert a positive influence. The trick is finding role models who are famous because they are great, not great because they are famous.

GRAND REMARK OF THE WEEK

Rod O’Shea, of Atlanta, Georgia, likes to leave his grandchildren with “something to think about. Here’s one of my favorites. I tell my grandkids that someday they will be just a memory for everyone they meet in life. Try to make that memory a good one.”