Nurturing Our Children’s Independence

Summer break is here and the kids are excited to explore and achieve new levels of independence. The grandkids will be staying with us for extended days of play and travels. We struggle each year in deciding how to provide each child with new milestone achievements and freedoms. Here are some of our proposed solutions for this summer of adventures:

Older middle school grandson will have freedom to leave the clan for short spurts when vacationing at a theme park and reporting in at critical times. He will also own a phone for added tracking (i.e. see Find My Family or Find My Kids: Child Locator Applications). As a new electronic device, he will be excited to show us how he uses it.
Older elementary granddaughter is attending a performing arts camp while visiting for a week. She will have complete autonomy while teaching me her new craft in the afternoons.
Younger elementary grandson will be helping us for extended vacations complete yard projects. He loves power equipment and anything that makes noise.
The three-year-old twins are expanding their creativity with lots of art projects and park explorations. They are becoming avid hikers and love to observe nature, conduct science experiments, and play outside.

When I review this summary of opportunities, I marvel that we are running a holistic learning center for many different age groups. We are gathering a larger collection of books, games, art materials, and yard projects as the grandkids grow in their abilities and talents.

May you have the joy of exploring with extended family this summer!

Mary Ann

More Empty Nest Adjustment Strategies!

I was talking with my friend today about my summer plans now that my son will only be home for a short visit. It had not occurred to me that I would have more time for myself until we discussed my summer schedule. In the past I always provided my son with extra time for visiting and playing together throughout the summer. Now I would have a completely free summer. When asked what I would do after my work day, I came up with the following 10 activities:

Focus more on my own health and physical fitness goals.
Read books for fun.
Make time for visiting with my friends.
Take a couple of long weekend trips with my spouse.
Go to the beach, breathe the fresh air, take a walk, and enjoy a great meal.
Be a kid for a day and play.
Organize myself without becoming overwhelmed and clean out two more rooms in my house.
Give away 10 sacks of papers, brochures, and excess collectibles.
Donate 5 bags of clothes that no longer fit to a local charity.
Give 100 professional books to teaching colleagues.

My friend and I agreed that I would check back in with her in mid-August before the start of the school year. At that time, I would determine how successful I was in completing my list of accomplishments. Ideally, I would be able to report that I feel relaxed and refreshed after spending more time playing, pursuing my interests, and organizing myself with less clutter.

Relish the simple pleasures of life!

Yvette

Grandma’s Space for Work Provides Added Time for Family

Four months ago, I decided to rent office space outside of our family home to allow me to separate my work from my home life. Since that time, I have learned to balance each day at home with increased time for my family. I have also found that:

I was able to declutter which has made me more organized with easy access to relevant files.
When reorganizing my files, I was able to revisit projects from the past and integrate these into current projects and outcomes.
I am more efficient with my time as I have less distractions.
My creativity has increased because I can focus and think in a quiet space.
When reviewing previous projects, I learned that I needed to change how I was managing my role as secretary for various committee projects or notetaking for project groups because I would delay sending out minutes or notes until right before a meeting.
I have changed my timeline for sending out draft minutes or notes. I have learned to send them out to committee members immediately with follow-up actions so they can complete assigned action items with colleagues immediately.
The timeline checklists of action items and the agreed upon next meeting date is now published right after a meeting. This allows everyone to have more time to plan to attend the next assigned meeting date.

When I consider my increased organizational skills, efficiency, and productivity, I am thankful for moving my office out of the house. Initially, I was concerned about how my planned absences would impact the care of my grandchild. I have learned that my increased productivity allows me to more fully enjoy my childcare responsibilities. I now have more time for focused play with my grandchild.

Happy added family time!

Joyce

How to Care for Children with a Broken Foot

How to Care for Children with a Broken Foot!

I have been fortunate. In all of the years of being a parent, I was never challenged with mobility issues until I became a grandparent several years ago. The first time I was in a walking boot, my grandchild was a baby. I could hold and cuddle him for hours which worked well for all. The second time I was in a walking boot, I hobbled around with small grandkids that were easy to manage. This time, however, I am in an ortho shoe with orders to not walk. Today, I realized I was in trouble when considering my mobility challenges with three young grandkids that can outrun me in seconds.

Kids Can Provide Added Help

I can drive and have seven-year-old Brandon help with car seat latching. We can get into the house while the grandson parcels out snacks to all. Brandon has also impressed me with his culinary skills. Last week he made his three-year-old twin sisters peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The girls loved his snack and were impressed with his leadership.

Our seven-year-old grandson was the babysitter and I was the helper. The twins proceeded to follow Brandon around as the leader. They watched him create a domino game, name his new fish in the fish tank, and play with slime as the art project for the day. I marveled at his leadership until all three children ran outside to play in the mud. Then I was in over my head when managing sheer joy and chaos. I was lucky. It was dinner time with mom back in charge to prepare the meal.

We Can Set Boundaries

Tomorrow, I will attempt to care for the kids again with the newly mandated no walking orders. It will be interesting and challenging with the following plan of action:

I have notified the parents about my added limitations.
The grandkids will be briefed and understand that Grandma has new limitations.
A parent will be working from home if or when there is a challenge.

Parents Can Build a Team of Support

I am learning that I must clearly state my needs with the grandkids before the chaos begins. With a team effort of parents and extended family members, the kids continue to thrive and grow in their responsibilities as family members overcome the daily challenges of life.

Happy parenting and grandparenting!

Mary Ann

Cultural Awareness Summer Programs

As our children focus on the last days of the school year, parents are anxiously trying to secure adequate childcare and enrichment programs for their children once school is out. Some parents focus on sports camps, wilderness camps, and performing arts camp activities. Other parents use much of the summer for parks and recreational play dates. And other parents will focus on academic learning boot camps. It is important to balance your children’s summer play with a variety of activities to ensure that they have time to regroup and learn many new skills.

Experiencing Your Culture

Ideally, children will also have time to learn more about their culture and family’s values. Our family has participated in Japanese-American cultural camps throughout the years. These elementary school age summer programs vary in length and encourage the students to appreciate their Japanese heritage and take pride in their unique cultural background. Parents are encouraged to participate in every aspect of the program and share their talents with the children.

Through these programs, children gain an appreciation for the diversity of lifestyles that make up our society today (see www.suzumenogakko.org or www.medakanogakko.org for more information). Each area camp is different and may include some of the following activities:

Lessons in language, crafts, and music
Family life of Japanese Americans
Learning Japanese cooking and farming
Japanese gardening
Games, sports, and martial arts
Japanese-American history and relocation camps
Field trips to local businesses and public landmarks that may depict Japanese architecture
Guest assemblies, celebrations, and community service events

Reading About Your Culture

When considering the variety of cultural experiences shared in these camps, parents can read books to their children about cross-cultural perspectives. For example, we can help our children understand the relocation camp experience by reading Mei Ling in China City by Icy Smith. The book is based on events during World War II in Los Angeles China City. The story describes how a 12-year-old Chinese American girl named Mei Ling Lee loses her best friend, Yayeko Akiyama, to the Manzanar War Relocation Center. By corresponding through letters, the girls vividly describe their painful separation and their lives in China City and Manzanar. The story depicts these hardships and experiences with beautifully illustrated watercolor paintings.

Celebrate Your Culture

May your summer be filled with opportunities to celebrate your culture and your community’s diversity of lifestyles!

Joyce