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Tag Archives: Grandchildren

Beware of Grandparents

18 Thursday May 2017

Posted by Richard in Articles & Books of Interest, Family and Friends

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Drudge Report, Grandchildren, Grandparents, Pediatric Academic Society, The Wall Street Journal

We are under assault.

Research presented at a meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies this month warns of a grave threat to America’s children: Grandma and Grandpa. The study suggests older people are so hopelessly out of date on child-rearing recommendations that they may put their beloved grandchildren at risk.

Apparently, because we have not been ‘trained’ adequately, our children are being warned against allowing us to help with the grandchildren. Despite having been parents already, or perhaps because we were parents so long ago, we are out of date and cannot be trusted with the grand kinder.

[I wrote about this a few years ago: Are Grandparents (Becoming) Obsolete?  In that Mar. 3, 2013 post I brought to your attention that we no longer were the ‘go to’ source for answering questions from our grandchildren. We had been replaced by Google. And that may even be out of date if your grandkid has Alexa to answer all of his/her questions.]

Now, in an attempt to stay up to date myself about politics and other issues and not just remain in my ideological bubble, I’ve expanded my morning reading of newspapers and other articles to include, among other sources, The Wall Street Journal and even The Drudge Report.

Imagine my horror when I saw this article this morning in the WSJ.

Sorry Gramps, You’re No Expert by Lenore Skenazy, Wall Street Journal, 5/17/17. (The subtitle of the article: “Are the people who raised you qualified to take care of your child?”)

Apparently we are not to be trusted because we don’t know all of the latest ‘research’ and ‘child expert advice’ that our own children are getting about raising their kids.

Harumph.

Ellen, let’s cancel those six upcoming dates to help out with the three grandchildren in Bethesda and the three scheduled trips to Kansas City in the next couple of months to help out with the grandchild there (and the one that is schedule to come in mid-August). After all, we wouldn’t want to put them at risk.

Maybe we can get back to traveling more frequently.

PS – I told you it wasn’t a good idea to slow down on our traveling. Now I have research to back me up. Let’s put South Africa, New Zealand, and the Arctic back on our schedule. Do you want to call the travel agent or should I?

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Watching Grandchildren

28 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

"Annie", Children, Grandchildren, Grandparents, parents, watching grandchildren

I was reminded recently of how much fun it is to simply watch the little ones experience life.

We had taken our seven and five year old grandchildren to see the play Annie. They had seen the movie and had mixed feelings about going to the play. However, once the play started, they were captivated, and it was more fun watching them than watching the play.

theatre

The seven-year old was mesmerized, and you could see his emotions play out as the play progressed. The five-year old was seeing it differently. She was intensely focused and seemed to be trying to figure it all out. Her questions at intermission confirmed that, as she asked, in her own way, what was real and what was pretend.

The evening reminded me of two previously evenings.

About 30 years ago we took our daughter, the mother of these grandchildren, to see Annie when she was about the same age. At one point in the play Sandy, the dog, became separated from Annie, the orphan. As Sandy was wandering alone on the stage, our daughter started crying so loudly that we had to take her out of the theater. With some help from her mother, she was able to return after the intermission for the remainder of the play. We all remember that night vividly.

Then about 20+ years ago, there was another evening I will never forget. Our younger daughter was with her dance group in Moscow, and my father and I were traveling with the group also. One evening we were at the ballet, and my daughter and her friend were entranced by the dancers in Giselle. But what was even more memorable was watching my father watch his granddaughter. There were tears streaming down his face. And soon down my face too (son watching father watching his granddaughter, my daughter, watch the ballet).

E.S.

Now I have the wonderful pleasure of watching that same granddaughter (my daughter) with her new born, talking softly and soothingly to her child of one month. And once again, let me extol the virtues of watching one’s child become a parent. That’s even better than watching the new grandchild enter the world, which is pretty terrific too.

Plus, yesterday, I also had the pleasure of watching both the seven-year and five-year old hold the one-month old while my wife, grandmother to both, looked on delighted.

A.S

ESE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then lunch with the almost three year old:

Ryan

So many good memories from the past and ones being made today.

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It’s Never Too Early…

14 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by Richard in Family and Friends, Go Sox

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Boston Red Sox, Grandchildren, Major League Baseball, Sox

…to get them started.

(Turn up the sound on your computer and click on the headline below; you won’t be sorry.)

                              Grandson Knows What’s Important

Actually, on further reflection, I guess sometimes it may be too early to start the grand kid’s education. As can be seen in the photo below, when Grandpapa attempted to introduce three-day old Samantha Lauren to the importance of pitching over hitting, she slept through the entire lesson.

index11

Now, before you get all upset and consider calling Child Protective Services, know that I did something similar with my own daughters. And read what the mother of our newest grandchild wrote when she herself was 21 in 2004 (when the Sox won the World Series for the first time since 1918):

I guess it started with Mike Greenwell. And Roger Clemens. And Wade Boggs. Two of three of whom went on to serve the evil empire in their quest for baseball domination. Not an auspicious beginning, I’ll admit.  I’d come down for breakfast to study the previous nights scores because I knew I’d probably be quizzed on the box score on my way to school. It was my father’s fault. Some would call it indoctrination; hell, it’s probably a form of propaganda. But I didn’t care. I just wanted them to win. And sometimes I’d watch them win; sometimes I’d watch them lose. As long as they played, it didn’t really seem to matter to me.

But I soon realized that by virtue of being a Sox fan I’d have to accept heartache. And not just in an “oh our team sucks every year” kind of way, but in “oh our team is so close every year” kind of way. Trust me — it’s a lot easier to finish 15 games out of 1st place than watch Aaron Boone clock one of the left field wall.

It’s hoping you never have to say “next year”.

It’s not being comfortable with a six-run lead in the 7th inning.

It’s knowing that bullpen by committee was dead from the start.

It’s knowing when vintage Pedro comes to pitch, he will fuck you up.

It’s knowing that the most contentious issue in your parents’ relationship is the fact that your father listens to the game full blast in the study late at night.

It’s checking bostondirtdogs.com every day in the off-season.

Being a Sox fan prepared me for disappointment; it taught me that there are some things that no matter how badly you want something, sometimes you just can’t make it happen. I think my perspective on life has truly been shaped by the virtue of my fanaticism for baseball. It’s taught me that life isn’t fair, you don’t get what you want, and other people can just be downright heartless.

So this year, can I finally rejoice in our successes? (And I say “our” because I feel as though I’ve truly deserved a spot on the roster). Yes, but I couldn’t do so without a little acknowledgement to my father. It would not be an exaggeration to say I owe it to my father. I mean I blamed him for the heartache for all the years right, so if I don’t give credit now, I probably never will. If it weren’t for him, I’d probably be like every other girl, trying to figure out the difference between a curve ball and a change up. Or not be the kind of girl who gets into arguments with strangers on the 4 train about why Jason Varitek is a better catcher than Jorge Posada. I’m glad they won it for me, but deep down I’m glad they won it for him.

More than anything, my father taught me to believe. And not just in the Red Sox, but in myself. Because if my team can come back from down 0-3 to the Yankees, and sweep the Cardinals in the World Series, really, there is no such thing as never.

I guess in the end, my obsession ultimately taught me that good things do come to those who wait. So I sit back and say to the rest of Major League Baseball, sit down; wait ‘till next year.

 

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Through Ellen’s Lens: A Weekend of Babysitting

01 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by Richard in Family and Friends

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Ellen Miller Photos, Grandchildren, Grandparents. Ellen's Lens

When Ellen and I agreed to ‘watch’ the three grandchildren (6, 4, & 2) for a weekend while their parents attended a wedding out of town, I thought, “Well, at least I’ll get a good MillersTime post out of it.”

You know, one where I ‘gently’ chide the parents, ‘herald’ the wonderful grandparents, and feature the antics of the three young ones. As the weekend started, I jotted down some events that I knew would bring smiles (to readers, if not to the parents).

But then a ‘funny’ thing happened. All three kids somehow ‘performed’ well and were a joy. Plus, we didn’t even lose the youngest, as we have in the past. So rather than my expected post, I thought simply featuring Ellen’s photos would be the best way to ‘memorialize’ the weekend and entertain those of you who enjoy such things.

 

3 cropped

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The Importance of Grandparents

16 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by Richard in Family and Friends, Go Sox

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Boston Red Sox, Grandchildren, Grandparenting, Grandparents

 

RedSox angels. MG_6556

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