Category Archives: Family
Premature Babies-How We Treat Them Fifty Years Later
WASHINGTON — Fifty years ago this summer, the nation was transfixed by a medical drama that is now largely forgotten: the desperate struggle to save the life of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, the first baby born to a sitting president and first lady since the 19th century.
It is hard to believe that fifty years have passed since President Kennedy and Jackie lost their prematurely born son, who died from hyaline membrane disease soon after his birth .
It was a very sad time.
Today, a baby born five weeks premature would have a 95% chance of survival due to all the medical advances since 1963.
Fifty years later,the pediatricians that took care of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy speak out. It is interesting to read what they have to say.
I wonder how the story would read if these events occurred today?
Jackie tried to mourn the loss of her child privately with her family…so tragic that the following November she would be mourning the loss of her husband as well.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…
Reflections: Portraits of the Elderly as They Once Were
My eye recently got pulled towards “Reflections”. A photo series by Tom Hussey, where he portrays the elderly as they reflect on their younger selves in the mirror.
This is a wonderfully done series that gives you pause to think, about the passage of time and the lives we are living.
“Reflections” is for everyone…
I caught a profile glimpse of myself in the mirror last evening …
This morning…I viewed this beautiful photographic series on my Facebook page…
It gave meaning to what I saw in the mirror just yesterday.
Photographs and mirrors…
A look into the past and present…
How Do You Know If You and Your Child Need a Play Date Consultant?
Have you ever heard the expression that “there is nothing new under the sun”…
I was a believer in that saying, until I read about this!
Experts said that kids may need the play-date tutoring because their young lives have become so regimented, with classes in subjects like Mandarin and violin, that they don’t know how to play with others.
Since when do children need experts to tutor them in how to successfully negotiate a play date? Has childhood really become so regimented that kids don’t know how to be kids any longer?
Or is it that parents do not know how to let kids just be kids?
Play is childhood…it is how children learn about the world and how they develop skills that they will use in day to day life. It is how they first learn to problem solve.
Watching children play is absolutely fascinating…at least in my eyes.
As a grandmother of one…I am having the time of my life…I am getting to have another chance to interact on an almost daily basis with a child. I have learned from experience with my own children “not to sweat the small stuff” that children will figure it out if left to themselves to solve a problem.
Patience and time is what I have on my side. This was not always true and I realize that it is the same for this generation of parents. Like myself, they cannot wait for their children to grow…they want them to succeed…they want them not to have to deal with all the difficulties that they dealt with as children. They want “the best” for them.
In this quest for “the best”, today’s parents may just be denying their children what is best. That is just being a child and being allowed to grow and develop through play activities and imagination.
Can trust be said enough times? Trust should be our mantra. It is the secret to the most successful parenting and also the secret to enjoying it. Trust in our child, along with the magic word “wait”, help us to stay our course when friends, family, and unenlightened professionals imply that we’re not doing enough, and/or our child isn’t keeping up. Trust will remind us to let go of personal expectations for our child and to instead recognize and support the expectations she has for herself. Trust, trust, trust. It will never lead us astray. ~ Janet via Janet Lansbury/Elevating ChildCare
Parenting is definitely work and that has not changed.
In many ways, it is even more difficult in today’s world to unplug, wind down, and leave the calendar open to do whatever you fancy for a day now and then.
Just perhaps parents should schedule themselves to unschedule and let themselves and their children stop and learn to play.
Military Families, How Much is Too Much, Balancing Life
In the summer, I frequently meet military moms and dads at the beach with their families. I find them to be interesting and friendly and very well traveled.
At our local beach, we are all kind of “in the same boat”…trying to relax and letting our kids/grandkids enjoy the wonderful rights of summer, sand castles, swimming and snacking. We sometimes share snacks and the best thing of all … we don’t really care what we look like.
After meeting a military family, I find myself wondering what it must be like to live this nomadic lifestyle. And then today, I find this on Facebook…I hope you read it.
35) Yes, we “chose” this life by voluntarily saying “I Do”… but that doesn’t mean that we knew what we were getting into. No one can understand until they are living it. We are all learning along the way, and could really use the support of our family and friends through the ups and downs.
This blog is mostly about parenting and parenting issues…and yes, it is an arena crowded with moms but not so many grandmothers like myself. I haven’t quite yet accomplished my goals with this blog but I really enjoy writing and sharing…it is work…but it is fun.
At times, I am definitely tempted to share too much about myself, but in my job as a social worker I have learned where to draw the boundary lines.
So what does this do for me as a blogger…well, it probably makes me not as popular and widely read as other bloggers, who share their life stories as if they were in a therapist’s office.
I am not criticizing here in a bad way…but I would caution bloggers to be careful what they share and how much…because this information will follow their children for the rest of their lives.
But as the parenting platform becomes more crowded, and as more accomplished women choose blogging over other viable work-life options, will writers feel pressured to keep upping the ante, revealing more and more about their kids and their private lives? After all, there are only so many eyeballs for so many posts. And what does this mean for the kids who are the subject of all this blogging? How will they react (either now or in 10 years) to their mothers publicly sharing the natural, though previously seldom discussed, underbelly of parenting emotions?
One of the hardest things to do is balance work with life as a mom and in my case grand mom. I am a fan of MomTrends and wish there was a GrandMomTrends but to my knowledge there is not.
Nicole shares some of her tips for those of us trying to create a work/life balance.
I’m sharing my top 10 tips for creating work/life balance. When Always Infinity came to me with the program, my first thought was to giggle. No working mom I know has balance 100% of the time. But some of us have a fragile dance that is working. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I’ve got a terrific family, a thriving business and my health. I don’t want to discount my successes to luck or timing. Smart moves and good decisions help. I’d like to see more strong independent women business owners rise up in the USA. So I signed on and I’m ready to share!
Have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for reading!
Will You Watch Jenny On “The View”?
The news that Jenny McCarthy will be joining a show as popular as “The View” is very disturbing and distressing to me.
My whole professional life has been devoted to maternal child nursing and clinical social work. Jenny’s views on vaccinations are dangerous and deadly. She has used her “Hollywood” persona to champion her anti-vaccine cause…along with thumbing her nose at legitimate scientific research.
Barbara Walters has now given Jenny a national platform. In my opinion, Barbara is making a huge professional mistake with this choice.
Does she really want to be associated with promoting the anti-vaccination culture?
Ironically, Barbara may have lived to the ripe old age of 83 because she was vaccinated when she was a child.
Barbara’s decision to give Jenny national exposure on a daily basis on “The View” is as outrageous as Jenny’s beliefs about vaccines.
It is definitely time for Barbara to retire but her last deed before leaving television should not be something that very well might eclipse all the good that she has done for women during her career. Hiring Jenny should not be part of her television legacy!
What do you think?
Personally, I will not be viewing “The View” nor will I be supporting any of its sponsors.
That’s why it is so distressing to add another first to the list of Walters’s achievements: Jenny McCarthy, who will join “The View” in September, will be the show’s first co-host whose dangerous views on childhood vaccination may—if only indirectly—have contributed to the sickness and death of people throughout the Western world. See jennymccarthybodycount.com. McCarthy, who is savvy, telegenic, and pulchritudinous, is also the person most visibly associated with the deadly and authoritatively discredited anti-vaccine movement in the United States. She is not subtle: McCarthy once essentially threatened the actress Amanda Peet, who has often spoken out about the obvious benefits of childhood vaccinations, by warning Peet that she had an angry mob on her side. When people disagree with her views on television, McCarthy has been known to refute scientific data by shouting “bullshit.”
Table Manners, Tantrums, Strong Willed Kids – Summer Weekend Reads
Table manners are one of my pet peeves….but so hard to teach when life is so hectic and sit down family meals are not “regular” happenings each day as they were “back in the day”.
How do you teach table manners to your kids and grandkids?
Your kids may have learned table manners for restaurant eating, but if your kids are anything like mine, those table manners aren’t nearly as good at home. Circle of Moms member Rhionna H. points out two important things to remember about kids and table manners: they need to learn them while they’re young and they will learn by your example.
Tantrums…there is so much written about them and so little parents and grandparents can do when it comes to the when and where of “melt downs”.
How do you handle tantrums?
Basic reasons for toddlers tantrums:
1. Can’t express what they want/need
2. Trying to assert their independence
3. Want to be in control
4. Too many limits
5. Basic needs not being met- tired, hungry, thirsty, etc.
6. Overstimulated
7. Bored
Strong will is in reality a good thing but a “strong willed” child certainly can pose a challenge to parents and grandparents as well as teachers.
Do you have a strong willed child or grandchild?
It is so frustrating when you have a strong-willed child who just will not cooperate. And it is even more upsetting when you read parenting books and the “experts” suggest contradictory strategies!
Keeping the Choice-Formula vs. Breast
All I can say about Amy’s story, below, is THIS. THIS is why breastfeeding support must be secondary to supporting moms, full stop. THIS is why the medical community and the breastfeeding advocacy machine is failing us. THIS is why there are “defensive formula feeders” peppering message boards, attempting to share their truths, and being accused of making up stories and scaring other women out of nursing. THIS is why women are getting angry and fighting back. THIS is why people are starting to think the pendulum has swung so far and so hard that it’s bonked us all in the head and made us stupid. This. This. And THIS.
With the present increased incidence of breast-feeding, clinicians need to be prepared to identify and manage problems in lactation. Most problems are related to insufficient knowledge, inappropriate routines, and lack of confidence and are easily managed or prevented by prenatal education, anticipatory guidance, and adequate support. Increasing evidence exists that primary causes of lactation failure also occur and can preclude successful lactation, even among highly motivated women.
via Lactation Failure Due to Insufficient Glandular Development of the Breast.
It seems that the pendulum has indeed swung too far in the direction of breastfeeding and made it very uncomfortable for moms to choose formula if they do not want to breastfeed their baby for whatever reason.
The Fearless Formula Feeder has posted Amy’s story which speaks to moms who have insufficient glandular tissue. This is a condition that poses problems for moms, who are trying to breast feed.
As a clinician, it is so important to listen to your client and really try to understand the whole picture…a non-judgmental attitude is the key to helping anyone. If you find yourself making judgements, then you should refer your client to someone else…you are not the right helper. This goes for lactation consultants as well as well meaning friends.
I know that there is much more knowledge available since I had my own children but in the 70’s and 80’s there really was more understanding and acceptance of mom’s feeding choices. We may not have been that accepting of breastfeeding in public but that was a minor problem compared to the “bullying” situation we are currently experiencing.
It is not abusive to formula feed your baby and although breastfeeding may be best it is not necessarily the right choice in all cases.
Let’s try to support moms…please!
“Man’s Best Friend”
Click the above link…
“man’s best friend”…
It made me smile…
and
I hope it does the same for you!
Do Your Kids Eat Everything?…Tell theTruth!
Cooking for kids…always a challenge
I love to cook…but over the years my “go to meals” have changed…
and
become somewhat boring…
enter
Jennie Perillo, InJenniesKitchen and her book Homemade with Love.
I was losing my edge especially now…
that I very often am cooking for three generations in one house.
This morning, I read this piece from Jennie’s recipes in Relish Magazine
and
I smiled…as I adore pesto…
I have decided to try using parsley instead of my usual basil, omit the pistachios since….
there is a “nut allergy” in our family
I will add cheese to liven up the flavor.
I’ll be the first to admit that when I think about cooking for kids, pesto isn’t the first recipe that comes to mind. Yes, there are adventurous eaters out there, you know, those kids whose parents’ claim they eat everything. To that, I say spill the beans. No one likes everything, including myself, a professional food writer and recipe developer—and that’s okay. This is perhaps the most important tidbit of advice to remember when you approach feeding your children.
via