Grandparent Bond

My father, who is now 73 years old, suffered a stroke in the summer of 2007.  At the time of his stroke, my daughter and son were 8 years old and 4 years old respectively.  It was a terribly frightening time for everyone in the family. My Dad seemed so young and was very active---how could this be possible?

A few days after the event, my mind was flooded with all the things that my kids would never get to experience with their Grandfather (affectionately named Poopa)---hunting trips, lessons in his wood shop, cooking in the kitchen, and wind-blown cruises in his red Corvette.  Why I was so upset about these things was unknown to me, because they were not things I did with my Grandfather.  However, these were things that my Dad looked forward to and enjoyed tremendously.  These were the things that made him happy, and I knew he would enjoy doing them with my kids.  I greatly mourned the loss of these events for my Dad and for my kids.

While my Dad is still with us today, his limited mobility and partial vision loss prevents him from doing the things he loved doing before his stroke. Although he has finally come to accept his limitations, it is not without obvious sadness whenever we converse about his years as a dentist, his hunting trips or the beautiful things he made in his wood shop.

This has been a long and insightful journey for all of us these past four and a half years.  But it is a journey that has taught us all so much. Rather than dwell on what my father can no longer do, we celebrate all that he is able to do.  When things seem to be rough for me, I think about my Dad and the challenges he faces, and my own difficulties never measure up. I have to tell myself (or my kids) to stop complaining and move on! It’s a great perspective to have, and I try to steer my kids toward it whenever I can.  My children have a great bond with my Dad and love him for who he is, not for what he can do for them.  He is the first person they run to when they get to my parents’ home and the last person they hug before they leave. They are very protective of him and always make sure that he is taken care of.

For Christmas 2008, my daughter’s letter to Santa Claus stated that the only thing she wanted was for Poopa’s stroke to go away.  She was only 9 years old and we were amazed at her request. At that age, most Christmas lists are full of material items.  My husband and I loved the fact that she thought about someone other than herself for that holiday season.  It was then that we realized that she knew what love and life were all about.

Michele Charless is the manager of the NICU at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano and the Mother of two.

>>>READ MORE

Baby's precious moments: The importance of pointing.

I just want to let everyone know that my 11-month old baby is starting to point on things, He is like telling me "what's that mom?!" He is just so cute, And I've read that i should be happy that my son keep on pointing on different things. Here are something I've learned and wanted to share to all happy mothers like me.

Right around now, your child is becoming quite a pointer. Few items seen during your daily routines escape his little thrusted finger, and as your baby points, he likely says, "What'sat?" Now you might think doing this is just his way of learning the names of various things: clock, car, sock, plate, pencil, vase, pillow, and so many, many more.

This pointing skill, however, is about far more than just learning words. It involves bringing you into your child's realm of learning. If you watch younger babies closely, they are either solely engaged with you or with objects. They'll bat at an object overhead and then later coo back and forth with you. But now as he turns one-year old, your child can point at an object and interact with his Most Important Person—you!—by asking, "What'sat?"

What the Research Shows

Brain scientists call this phenomenon the cognitive triangle; the points of the triangle include you, your baby, and an object. Researchers discovered this pointing ability by doing nothing more than observing and videotaping children at about 12-months old.

For example, a child sees a fly on the window: She folds her thumb around her pinky, ring, and middle fingers while extending her index finger toward the fly, and then looks at her parent. Even when the child does not explicitly ask for information, you can see the question written all over her face. The parent just knows to say, "That's a fly."

source:

babyzone.com

>>>READ MORE