Gossip Image: sxc.hu

There may be nothing wrong with the e-mail, but has more private details than you feel the world should know.  It also has the potential of offending any people you may have mentioned.

Some people have no qualms about airing their clean and dirty laundry, their innermost feelings, family secrets, their financial challenges on social sites where the whole world has access.  Even if you’ve only admitted specific people as your friends, posting to them, replying to them expands the circle of people who have access to your information.  Also, those friends may decide to make it more public without your permission.

So…teach your children that if they want privacy, they need to be very careful about what they post and to whom they post.  Young people, as well as older, don’t seem to realize the ramifications of the Internet and how it can spread information you don’t want made public or in the way you may have expressed it to a close friend or relative.

The same goes for text messaging.  You may find that someone is posting your private texts to them on social media.  They simply want to share, but perhaps it isn’t something you want shared with everyone.  They really should ask your permission because, by copyright law, you own what you wrote and pictures you took.  However, most people are ignorant of this.

The lesson seems to be….THINK before you write to ANYONE or post anything.  What you write and pictures you take may reach the world without you wanting them to.

Post from: Blisstree

Privacy No Longer Private on the Internet

Weird hair image: sxc.hu

Generally these are phases that young adults, teens and youngsters go through.  Much has to do with the movies, tv, and current styles they see in magazines and on the Internet.  So much of this goes in cycles.

I’ve noticed this year, in my work with youngsters and teens, that hair colors and styles are getting more normal for the most part.  Youngsters, who may have unusual hair styles (with parental consent or design, when very small) often discontinue these when they’re older.  Whether this is from peer pressure or their own decision not to be so different, I don’t know.  Probably some of both.  Other times they will try something different if their friends are for awhile.

There isn’t much as a grandparent one can do except express your opinion in a diplomatic manner, compliment when you see something you like, make suggestions if you have the relationship where you can, and wait for this cycle to pass. 

What do you think?  What has been your experience?

Post from: Blisstree

If Your Grandchild Has Weird Hair Color

Enjoying the rain image: sxc.hu

 During my substitute teaching recently, I spent three days with a second grade class,  and they were focusing on weather in reading, science, math, art  and writing. 

We read Tomi de Paola’s The Cloud Book and discussed the various types of clouds described.  They drew pictures and did a math paper about clouds.  Then they began making a cloud booklet, using worksheets their teacher had provided.    Some of the students became so enthusiastic, they wanted to create their original cloud booklet when they had free time.

We watched a video on weather, learned about tornadoes and hurricanes, blizzards, frost and snowflakes and weather myths.  (A book we didn’t read, but which I would have used if the teacher had been out longer, is Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin.  This is about the man who first photographed snowflakes.)  Some of the youngsters cut out snowflakes, an activity the art teacher also did with them later that day.

I found this unit so interesting that I’m developing  one to use with youngsters when I teach and to provide material for home schoolers.

Post from: Blisstree

Weather Activities for Kids

Image: sxc.hu

The gifts are food treats or a toy.  But children in our family throughout the years have enjoyed sharing gifts with their pets.  Seeing the dog, who senses there is something for her, ripping the wrappings and tossing the toys usually provides laughter for the youngsters…and picture taking opportunities.

These occasions create more holiday memories for the family, with photos to share in later years with children and grandchildren.

Do your pets enjoy the holidays with you?

Post from: Blisstree

Kids’ Christmas Gifts for Pets

We remember those who fought for our freedoms in World War II, those who gave their lives, those who took several years from their lives, and those at home who carried on when family members were away.  Because of their sacrifices our country remained free.

Freedom image: sxc.hu

Do your children, do you know about Pearl Harbor?  You may have seen the movie, but do you know what this actually meant and still means to families?

This is a good time to learn from older relatives in the family and find our your Pearl Harbor heritage.  My uncle served in the Army Air Corps, and we have some of his letters written to my mom.  We also have a picture album of some of his experiences in the States.  However, he never talked too much about his service on the island of Guam, where he was an aircraft mechanic.

Uncle Al was so proud of serving his country that he wanted to be buried in his uniform when he died.  He kept it for those many years, for he died when he was 84.  He also wanted his medals pinned on for the funeral.  An honor guard draped a flag over his casket and presented it to my mom, his surviving sibling.  We fly that flag at our home and remember Uncle Al.

How are you remembering and preserving your World War II heritage and sharing it with your youngsters?

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Do Your Youngsters Know About Pearl Harbor?

This made me realize that we are building attitudes at home.  It’s too easy to be grumpy at home, to air our gripes and disappointments rather than looking for the sunshine.  In our multigenerational home, with its many personalities, it’s sometimes difficult for all of us to be upbeat all the time.

Kids smiling image: sxc.hu

However, it’s up to us adults to set the tone of the home and help youngsters build their attitudes…hopefully positive and problem solving ones.

• Do the youngsters in your home see you as an overcomer or as someone who lets life get you down?
• Do you find solutions to challenges or simply sit down and worry?
• Do you want your children to follow your example?

What do you do to affect your children’s attitudes in the home and in life?

Post from: Blisstree

Attitude Building With Children

Holiday memories image: sxc.hu

Grandparents’ memories, and those of other older relatives, contribute to the family heritage.  Record them, write them down, compile them in scrapbooks.  Those help children realize who they truly are and help form a family bond.

If grandchildren can work on Holiday memory projects with grandparents, these have special meaning, too.  My mother and mother-in-law shared their memories with my daughter. I encouraged my daughter to take part in it, or at least be a good listener.  We now reminisce about some of the things they did and said, passing them along to my grandchildren.

These memories are somewhat like the oral histories of various cultures, when stories were passed along through the generations by word of mouth.  However, so they don’t get lost in time, make sure you record them in some fashion.  The holiday memories are especially precious.

Post from: Blisstree

Kids & Grandparents’ Holiday Memories

Names image: sxc.hu

If it’s an unusual name, they might make fun of it.  If an an adult mispronounces it, they may laugh and hurt a tot’s feelings.

I heard one principal handle this very well when youngsters were mixing up two students’ names on purpose.  One didn’t mind, but the other was close to tears.

She had a discussion and mentioned the importance of a person’s names.  She emphasized that each person’s name is special.  This led to a discussion on where the students’ names originated and what they meant.

So they shared whether they were named for a parent, grandparent or other family member.  Was that name a special one for mom or dad?  Did it have a special meaning when defined?  When the discussion was over, the children were proud of their names and realized that each person and their name was special.

I used this same approach in a second grade class when one of the boys was deliberately mispronouncing another student’s name.  This led to the students sharing their names and I shared where mine originated, too.

Do you discuss the importance of family names and why you named your children as you did?

Post from: Blisstree

The Importance of Names

Chrstmas ornaments image: sxc.hu

• Keep a journal and record the various holidays activities that are occurring in the family and at school.
• Take pictures of the various crafts and activities and put these in a slide show on the computer.  So many youngsters are learning how to make slide shows for school projects.  So this could carry over at home
• Print off pictures and put them in an actual scrapbook.
• Make holiday collages with pictures from magazines and write about the holidays on this.  These could be lone collages or be compiled into a scrapbook.
• Find old Christmas cards saved in the family.  Put these in a scrapbook and write something about the memories these evoke.  My grandmother saved hristmas cards for years.  I’m trying to jot down notes about any of the people I know who sent these to her.

What holiday memory projects does your family do?

Post from: Blisstree

Holiday Memory Project for Tots

Grandparents parenting image: sxc.hu

Many of these are doing it on their own when parents can’t or won’t.  Some even are raising great grandchildren.  This even includes adopting  these children.  If grandparents aren’t raising grandchildren on their own, they are helping.

Both my husband and I grew up in multigenerational households with grandparents living with  us all or part of the time.  They pitched in with child care and helped our moms who were busy with farmwork.  When our daughter was younger, we sometimes lived with my husband’s brother and his family.  Or their children were at our house much of the time.  My mother-in-law, at various times helped raise one or more of her grandchildren and might have them living with her and Dad for awhile.  It was a matter of everyone pitching in to help.

When relatives can pitch in to care for children and give them the security of a family environment, it usually works out better than for children to be shuttled from foster home to foster home.  A friend  is in the process of adopting her 8-month old grandson.  Even though she never expected to raise children again, other than helping out with grandchildren, she wants to know who is caring for the baby and have input into his upbringing.  So adopting him is the solution for him and her.

For more information of grandparents raising grandchildren and great grandchildren, you may like to read Peggy O’Hare’s informative article, More Grandparents Parenting Again.

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More Grandparents Raising Kids