Summer Grandparenting Tip

Here's a quick tip if you're a grandparent going on vacation with your grandhchildren this summer.

Take a trip to a souvenir shop. Have your grandchildren pick out ten postcards (each).

Later, get postage stamps and put them on the postcards. As the vacation winds down, give the postcards to the grandchildren. Ask them to keep them safe until they get home. Then over the course of the next few months, they should write a sentence or two and mail one of the postcards to you (at whatever time interval you think is best).

Not only will the grandchild remember the vacation with the grandparent with each mailing, they'll become better writers! (And isn't penning letters becoming a lost art?) And of course, you'll get the scoop on how the rest of their summers go.

Gas Prices

Okay, we've been away a few days. Doug has been working 12-hour shifts, and Robin has been writing articles for the Carolina Coastal Guide.

And ..., we drove our son David to Appalachian State College for orientation. And ... we went to Wilmington for research ..., sigh, where does time go?

But ..., we did have a few thoughts about gas prices. Everyone knows how they've jacked up in recent weeks/months. The curious aspect about it, though, is that nobody with inner knowledge seems to agree on the reason. C'mon, there have been Senate committee meetings and no one's the wiser? Speculators on the futures markets get some blame, according to reports. And some say that supply is an issue in the face of growing demand. Others might thing this is a ploy by lobbyists to get drilling in the Atlantic ocean and in Alaska. BUT ..., here's some speculation.

What if bin Laden and his cronies got their act together and figured out the best way to crash the American economy was to force the price of gas to 10 dollars a gallon. First, let's agree that this price would definitely have the potential of crashing the economy. Most foods get shipped via transportation that has the rising costs of diesel and gas. The price increase hits us not only in the gas tank, but in the food basket as well.

Well, crashing the twin towers didn't work, so how about jacking up the price of gas at the pump?

It just ... might ... work.

We're not suggesting that this is actually being carried out. We're just saying that nobody has given a convincing reason for why the prices are going up. And if we don't know, maybe bin Laden does.

Another Haiku

We just got back from Wilmington, NC. What a wonderful city!

But, we're pressed for time, so today's blog will be a simple haiku for parents.

Cold late moonless sight;

backyard black except one light;

kids in tents at night.

Haiku and WCU

We drove our youngest son to orientation at Western Carolina University (WCU). There's no empty nest syndrome here yet, but we can certainly understand why it occurs. Off they go to college, out of our daily lives, and we miss them. But we're proud of their independence. It is what we strove for. Why should we be sad when they achieve it?

We can think back to when they were newborns and toddlers. Which brings us to this haiku.

Baby builds future
with 1, 2, 3; A, B, C;
wooden building blocks.

Remember to visit us at HewittsBooks.

Want help raising your kids or grandkids?

These books will help:
The Practical Guide to Weekend Parenting
The Joyous Gift of Grandparenting

USMC in Books and Film

We got an email from a researcher who is documenting references to the United States Marine Corps in books, film, TV, and other media. The researcher, Richard Hemenez, read one of Doug's fictional pieces, a chapbook titled Slipstream. Of course, as with many of Doug's works, it's a thrilling story that a bit of science fiction and a bit of horror (in other words, speculative fiction).



But wait ..., (and in the fine tradition of infomercials) that's not all!

Mr. Hemenez apparently missed SPEAR, a novel that has at its core a former US Marine who is, shall we say, has a sanity level that is teetering.



But, we've set up a phone interview, and we'll discuss Doug's works as they relate to the research that Mr. Hemenez is conducting.

By the way, the book that Richard Hemenez has published (actually, it's publication date is in August 2008), is titled The United States Marine Corps in Books and the Performing Arts, and it's available on amazon.com (etc).



It looks like a great book. We're not surprised at all by the representation that the USMC has in book and film. Because we have many family members who served as U.S. Marines (fathers, sons, brothers, etc, etc), we know that many Marines have an artistic side to them. It's probably a shock to many. Incomprehensible to some.

So, we're thinking, in summary, Marines not only know how to fight, they know how to act and write and draw ... and dream.

High School Graduation

We attended our youngest son's graduation from high school on Saturday. There's something great about the look of a high school graduate's face. It's full of hope and expectation, full of the future. (And, we're sure, glee over being through with high school.)



The graduation was on Saturday. Today, Sunday, we carted him off to college for 4 days of orientation. It's a time of transition for him. It makes us think, that's what life is all about. Transitions. If there's one thing that's a constant in this world, it's change. And in today's modern world, the transitions seem to come fast and furious. So, when you're thinking about something weighty to teach your kids, tell them about transitions, about changing surroundings, taking new paths. If your kids take transitions in stride, they'll have an advantage in life and will be better able to reach their full potentials.

Pacify the Children?

How do we as a society raise our children to reach their full potential?

Do we challenge them? Or do we coddle them?

Okay, so maybe most decisions aren't so clearcut, but we just received a report from a concerned parent regarding child care for a 4-year-old that makes us think society has swung into the realm of over pacification. It's great for babies, right? Let's take a look ...




Yes, no problem with the infants, but once they can walk and talk, it might be time to challenge to improve their skills ... and to obey the rules.

Here's what our friend had to say. Her grandson goes to day care. To help with discipline, each child had a flower cut out from construction paper taped to the wall. The child's name was printed on the flower. Each time a child misbehaved, a paper worm was taped to the flower (although it could be removed with good behavior). But this was deemed negative discipline. So, instead, each child was rewarded with a petal for good behavior. Sound good? No, no, no. The awarding of petals was deemed as discrimination (based on behavior). And therefore it was a violation of human rights.

Sheesh. It's no wonder that there's a glut on childhood obesity (pun intended). The way our society is teaching kids these days, it's not fair to call unhealthy behavior bad behavior.

The Great Mentos and Diet Coke Experiment (just add kids)

We figure when we go and visit the grandchildren, we need to do two things. First, we need to wow them. That's right, we try to add entertainment value for our grandchildren. C'mon, how many times did you say, "I'm bored" when you were a kid? The second thing we try to do is to educate our grandchildren. The best of both worlds came together in our last visit to Michigan to see our grandkids. We brought them THE GREAT MENTOS AND DIET COKE EXPERIMENT.

First, of course, the dad and grandpa have to check out the equipment and make sure the pack of Mentos will slide uniformly into the 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke. So far, so good.



Then, removing the index card releases the Mentos mints into the Diet Coke. Hey, this really works!



Now, just add grandchildren.





We had a lot of fun, and we're pretty sure that at some point, the grandkids are going to wonder what caused this reaction, and who knows ..., it might lead to great grades in chemistry! In any case, it was both fun and educational. A great combination for activities for children and grandchildren.

We have plenty of these kind of activities in our grandparenting book, The Joyous Gift of Grandparenting and Doug's book, The Practical Guide to Weekend Parenting.

There's more! If you're really serious about trying this experiment, check out this YouTube video. These guys take their Mentos and Diet Cokes seriously (and have so much fun in the process)! YouTube Mentos and Diet Coke Experiment.

A Grandchild's Kindergarten Graduation

You might've guessed that we would put a picture of our granddaughter in this blog post. Good guess. And she did look awfully cute in her little red graduation gown and cap. But we noticed something else during the ceremony. The parents and grandparents. Yes, the five-year-olds were excited, and it showed on their faces. But on the faces of the parents and grandparents was more than excitement. It was pride. Parenting and grandparenting is hard work, but there are no payoffs that are bigger. Just look at these wonderful people as they take pictures of the kindergarten graduates. This is one thing our books try to capture, how to raise kids and grandkids to reach their potential. And as you can see, it's well worth the effort.

Long Distance Grandparenting

We got interviewed by a reporter for Birmingham Parent, an award winning magazine. The reporter (Lori) had a great question. How do grandparents keep the bond with their grandchildren strong when they live a long distance away? There are plenty of ways, of course, and we'll list a good one here. Read the same book as one of your grandchildren and talk about it over the phone. Or emails. Whatever. Lori mentioned that she had done the same with her child, reading the Harry Potter books. For us, it's Eragon. There's nothing like a good book to bring people together. What a great bridge over any generational gap! And as a bonus, the kids improve their reading skills. So, see what your grandchild (or child) is reading, and read along with him or her. You'll be amazed at the connection you can make.

It might be good to gather them all on a chair or couch and have them pick out a book (or books) that everyone can enjoy. (see picture below) Okay, the younger ones might have to wait a few years, but that's ok. They'll catch up.