Grandparents Bulletin Board; The Fooundatin For Grandparenting

A recent study published in the January 2008 edition of the American Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states that Major Depressive Disorder in the grandparental generation is associated with increased risk to grandchildren, even in the absence of parental depressive disorder. What to do? Become educated about depression as an epidemic condition that affects many people Learn the signs and become familiar with the treatments.

The First International Summit for Grandparent and Kinship Caregivers Took Place 
in New York on  May 6 – 8, 2007

After the three-day meeting, the group formed the International Alliance for Children Raised by Grandparents 
and Other Relatives. More information on the results of the meeting will emerge after the proceedings become available.

Millions of the world’s children are at risk because of recent dramatic increases in family breakdowns, national disasters, and global catastrophes. Now, more than ever, grandparents and other relatives are a natural resource of international importance. Governments must maximize the use of these alternative caregivers in order to meet the need for building and rebuilding strong families.

The first step is to listen to the cumulative experience of the world’s grandparents and kinship caregivers.

These caregivers, especially grandparents, are a traditional and universal voice for families. The world’s matriarchs and patriarchs speak with the moral authority of our collective cultures. Their representatives from five continents will come together in New York City to analyze the barriers facing kinship caregivers and define principles, best practices, and laws that might better support their families.

Summit participants will convene on the final day to create an international coalition and to vote on a set of resolutions declaring the rights of grandparents, kinship caregivers, and the children in their care.

"The Gramminator" is what a child called her "overly-critical" grandmother. 

Laughs For Those Born 1930-1979!

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they
were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get
tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs
covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we
rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took
hitchhiking.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster
seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day
was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one
soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from
this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with
sugar, but we weren't overweight because .

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back
when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day.
And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down
the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the
bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no
150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound, CD's or
Ipods, no cell phones!, no personal computers , no Internet or chat
rooms.......
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us
forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it
would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and kno cked on the door or rang

the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!


Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't
had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!


The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.


They actually sided with the law!


These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem
solvers and inventors ever!


The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO
DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them . . CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as
kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives
for our own good
And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave
(and lucky) their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of her own. They like other people's A grandfather is a man grandmother. Grandparents don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the store and have lots of quarters for us. When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars. They show us and talk to us about the color of the flowers and also Why we shouldn't step on "cracks." They don't say, "Hurry up." Usually grandmothers are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear.

They have to answer questions like "why isn't God married?" and "How come dogs chase cats?". When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again. Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don't have television, because they are the only grown ups who like to spend time with us. They know we should have snack-time before bedtime and they say prayers with us every time, and kiss us even when we've acted bad. A 6 YEAR OLD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS GRANDMA LIVED. ''OH,'' HE SAID, ''SHE LIVES AT THE AIRPORT, AND WHEN WE WANT HER WE JUST GO GET HER. THEN WHEN WE'RE DONE HAVING HER VISIT, WE TAKE HER BACK TO THE AIRPORT.

More SUPPORT A FAMILY: THE PROSPECTIVE FATHER-IN-LAW ASKED, "YOUNG MAN, CAN YOU SUPPORT A FAMILY?" THE SURPRISED GROOM-TO-BE REPLIED, "WELL, NO. I WAS JUST PLANNING TO SUPPORT YOUR DAUGHTER. THE REST OF YOU WILL HAVE TO FEND FOR YOURSELVES."

CLIMB THE WALLS: "OH, I SURE AM HAPPY TO SEE YOU," THE LITTLE BOY SAID TO HIS GRANDMOTHER ON HIS MOTHER'S SIDE. "NOW MAYBE DADDY WILL DO THE TRICK HE HAS BEEN PROMISING US." THE GRANDMOTHER WAS CURIOUS. "WHAT TRICK! IS THAT?" SHE ASKED. "I HEARD HIM TELL MOMMY THAT HE WOULD CLIMB THE WALLS IF YOU CAME TO VISIT" THE LITTLE BOY ANSWERED.

There is some question about the origin of some of these jokes. Some have been passed on from generation to generation, We recently heard that some should be attributed to Sandra DeMattia who, when was a little girl, shared her charming insights with Mrs. Grace Baron, who sent them to Juanita Nelson, a nurse at the Children's Hospital, who submitted it to the staff newsletter, where Dr. James Dobson quoted them.. Points of View.