Monday, August 27, 2007

Three of the sweetest words in the English language


Yeah, "I love you" is good to hear, but "Back to school" may be the best triple-word phrase ever coined.


It's been a long - so hot - summer, and back to school is not only a harbinger of cool times to come, but also a return to structure and whatever passes for normalcy around here. It's funny how many of the things I hated about school as a kid I now celebrate as a parent, foremost of which is the plain ol' predictable repetitiveness of it all.


Sean is going in to first grade and had a good summer. There were many valuable experiences along the way, but two really stand out in my mind.


The first was the West Side Civic Theatre's production of the Broadway play Seussical the musical. Sean was one of many kids who got to play a role as residents of Whoville. The late-night practices through his whole schedule off, but of course he didn't mind. He loved the music and the stories, and really enjoyed being part of the cast and learning how a play comes together. He's still singing the songs from the show.


The second thing that really made the summer memorable for him were two camps he took part in at the (relatively new) Children's Museum of Winston-Salem. He went to a one-week Harry Potter-themed camp and a geography camp. Both centered around stories and crafts, and he was excited about each day of camp. It's not unusual to hear him make a Harry Potter reference from camp or tell us about a story from South America or somewhere else far-flung from his world in Lewisville.


I've tried to tell Sean that he has had a very "storyful" summer. Hopefully it will be one he'll long remember. The kid in you hates to see it end. But the parent...
Photo: Sean (in red shirt) and other Whos during a rehearsal for the West Side Civic Theatre's production of Seussical, in June.


Thursday, August 16, 2007

Inventive dads

My friend Jim Toole sent me this link to a great NY Times story today. It's about how the trend of dads taking a more active role in their children's lives have led to new inventions and entrepreneurial opportunities for men, ideas nurtured by their child-raising experiences. As a guy who is still carrying around the wife's pink quilted Vera Bradley diaper bag, I say "Hallelujah."

The lede of the story is about Tommy Habeeb, a well-know actor, producer and a host of - how should we say - low-brow reality shows, as well as the inventor of the Water Bottle Nipple Adaptor. Habeeb, who has three kids including a 3-year-old son, is 49, according to Wikipedia. (That's my best bet, neither the story nor the biography on his web site list an age.)

Looking for manly dad stuff? The story lists a site called DadGear.com, with an eye toward the more rugged, masculine products aimed at dads. Good-bye, Vera Bradley.


On a way unrelated note, People Magazine reports that former Olympic figure skater Scott Hamilton, 48, and wife Tracie, 37, are expecting their second child in October.

Monday, August 13, 2007

New program for older students with developmental disabilities


I've written often here about the fact that the joys of older parenting come with the risk of potential genetic conditions. Those risks include Down syndrome and autism. I wrote a story in today's paper about a new program where a group of eight students with developmental disabilities will be sharing an apartment with eight students from UNC-Greensboro. The idea is to help the developmentally delayed students learn to live independently, with the help from a group of their typically developing peers.




I will be following the students along during the course of the year, so I'll post updates here as they appear.
Journal Photo by: Jennifer Rotenizer: Rasheika McLean, 21, participates in a dating etiquette class on Wednesday at the Zeke House in Greensboro. The program pairs people who have developmental disabilities with students at UNC-Greensboro.




Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Can we help this daughter of an older dad?

Today I got an anonymous response to a post I made in May, and since that post is kind of buried, I thought I would go ahead and make a new post out of it - here goes:

Is there a support group for children of older fathers? I'm the eldest child of a start-over-dad and have to make some tough decisions that none of my friends have made, and won't make until they are twice my age, and settled. I need some advice, on how I can take care of my aging father, without stopping my life. (I'm 27, single, and have recently started my career, and very fast feel as though I'm going to have four dependants.) I am also afraid that I don't have much time left with my father. Does anyone know where I can get some support?

You've raised an important topic here - caring for older parents when they get really older. I'm facing that now. My mother is 86, and has enjoyed remarkably good health until very recently, as her gait has become unsteady and she has shown some of the other signs of aging that she has been able to keep at bay until now. Of her five children I - the youngest - live the closest to her, so I'm often running her to the doctor, or taking her to her swimming class, or otherwise just helping her navigate the world. I don't consider it a burden, it's in a way an honor to repay for all the work she did in raising me. But it does take some balancing with two kids at home.

That said, I don't know of any sources specifically for people like us, whose parents are getting older just as we face our own milestones. I don't know where you live, but if it's local to us here in Forsyth County, NC, I can tell you from experience that Senior Services is amazingly helpful.

I hope you find the help you're looking for, and if you find any support groups please let us now and I will certainly post again.

Anyone else know of any groups or have any suggestions?