Author: Aletha Cress Oglesby, M.D.

As a family physician, I explore the HEART of HEALTH in my work, recreation, community, and through writing. My blog, Watercress Words, informs and inspires us to live in health. I believe we can turn our health challenges into healthy opportunities. When we do, we can share the HEART of health with our families, communities, and the world. Come explore and share with me.

Exploring the HEART of Grandparenting

This post discusses the significance of grandparenting and the impact it has on children’s well-being. In an interview, Dr. Aletha shared her ir experiences and insights as a grandparent, highlighting the role grandparents play in creating lasting memories and passing on traditions. Practical advice on caring for grandchildren is also provided, emphasizing safety and health.

updated September 2, 2024

Early in my blogging, I was grilled. Grilled as in “intense questioning or interrogation.”

And that’s not a bad thing, it was all in fun and I’m sharing it with you here. It’s about being a grandparent which we celebrate the second Sunday in September every year.

Grandma’s Briefs

Lisa Carpenter writes a blog called Grandma’s Briefs where she

shares my snippets, er, briefs on the good, bad, humorous, and heartwarming of being a grandmother, baby boomer, parent to adult children, wife, and writer.

One of the features on her blog is Grilled Grandmas, where she interviews other women who are both bloggers and grandmothers. Her blog challenges the stereotype of rocking chair grandmothers way past their prime in life.

a woman with her arms around 2 little girls on each side
Establishing a bond with grandparents is great for kids in many ways.
photo from Lightstock.com

Why talk about grandparenting?

Why would I talk about grandparenting on a medical blog? Health professionals consider the family a vital factor in health, both positive and negative. You probably know that family medical history contributes to physical health, but family interactions also play an important role in child development, learning, and emotional health.

Grandparents can play an important role in the lives of their grandchildren. In some families, they are the caregivers; in others, they help make lasting memories through special visits.

Grandparents pass on family traditions and give children the fundamental sense that they are loved and valued.

Research has shown that when grandparents are involved with their grandchildren, even from a distance, all the generations are often much happier.

Building Bonds with Your Grandchildren

My grilling

When Lisa “grilled” me, I had two grandchildren. Since then I have had two more. So now I have two boys and two girls. The older two live near me so I see them often. The younger two lives several hundred miles away.

Some of Lisa’s questions challenged me to answer. Some answers I knew right away, others required reflection. For example, this question

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma?

my answer-

Not having had a role model. My grandmothers died before I was born, so I never experienced having a grandmother in my life.

This question was easy.

What is one thing (or more) you’re proud to say you do right as a grandma?

We (including the grandpa) offer advice and help when asked, but we don’t butt in, interfere, criticize, or make demands. We let the parents be the parents.

Lisa asked me to submit a few photos of me with my grandkids; perusing my photos sparked many happy memories.

Lisa’s final question was –

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma?

Learn the answer at Lisa’s post which you will find at this link-

Grilled Grandma: Grandma Aletha

The First-Time Grandmother’s Journal: Inspiring Prompts to Celebrate Your Experience with a New Grandchild

Lisa Carpenter wrote a book/journal about grandparenting. This beautiful guided grandmother’s journal will help you capture your thoughts, feelings, and memories as you embark on this thrilling, life-changing journey. (affiliate link, may earn a commission)

Read sample here

Taking Care of Your Grandchildren

Even though they are my grandchildren, I keep in mind that they are someone else’s children, even though the someone else is my child. I need to be mindful of their parenting plans and any special needs of the kids.

This article from Nemours Kids Health gives grandparents a refresher course in caring for children. Whether they are with you for just a few hours, several days, or live with you, this gives practical tips on keeping them healthy and safe when they are in your care. Here are some highlights.

It’s important to know a child’s medical history, including any allergies and any medicines your grandchild takes.

Always place infants younger than 1 year old on their backs to sleep to reduce their risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Never put babies on their stomachs or their sides to sleep.

Babies and children should be in child safety seats that meet current standards. All kids younger than 12 years should ride in the back seat with the appropriate safety restraint.

See that your grandkids always wear a helmet when riding a tricycle or bicycle. Make sure that the helmet fits well. Be a positive role model (and protect your own head) by wearing your helmet too.

Supervision is always the best way to keep grandkids safe. But it’s also wise to childproof your home.

Washing hands well and often — particularly after going to the bathroom and before preparing or eating food — is one of the most important ways to prevent the spread of any illness, from the flu to stomach bugs.

Offer your grandkids a variety of free-time activities to try. Turn off devices and TVs during meals and homework, and set a good example by limiting your own screen time.

Learn CPR

If you don’t already know CPR, consider taking a class or refresher course. CPR is done differently in children than in adults. Infants and children are more likely to suffer respiratory arrest -quit breathing- than cardiac arrest-heart stopping. Common causes include choking, drowning, and trauma. Sources for training include

  • American Red Cross
  • American Heart Association
  • your local schools’ adult education programs
  • local hospitals and medical training programs

sharing the HEART of healthy grandparenting

I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Grandma Aletha

cheesy-free faith-focused stock photos

Lightstock-quality photos and graphics site- here. 

(This is an affiliate link)

Poems and poppies-why we remember John McCrae-physician, poet, reluctant soldier

Observance days in the United States honor the military with the poppy symbolizing Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day. In World War I, the poppies of Flanders Fields inspired Dr. John McCrae’s famous poem. As a military physician, he was deeply affected by the war and wrote the iconic poem before his death in 1918.

In the United States,  we have several observance days that honor our military, past and present, living and deceased. A flower, the poppy, represents two of them- Memorial Day, in May, and Veterans’ Day, in November.

 

Why poppies?

In the battlefields of Belgium during World War I, poppies grew wild amid the ravages of war. The overturned soils of battle covered the poppy seeds,  allowing them to grow and forever serve as a reminder of the bloodshed of war.

The poppies, the wounded, and the dead were honored in a poem about the ravages of war.

A Canadian military physician, Lt. Col. John wrote the now-famous poem, In Flanders Fields.

armed forces emblems over a field of poppies
photo used compliments of the American Legion Auxiliary

Dr. John McCrae

 

Originally from Canada, Dr.McCrae was an English and math teacher, as well as a poet, before he attended medical school. He moved to England and was practicing there when World War I broke out, and he was called to serve as a brigade surgeon.

I suspect that as a physician, he was deeply pained in treating the wounded soldiers, and the loss of those he could not save.

“In April 1915, McCrae was stationed in the trenches near Ypres, Belgium, in an area known as Flanders, during the bloody Second Battle of Ypres.

In the midst of the tragic warfare, McCrae’s friend, twenty-two-year-old Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed by artillery fire and buried in a makeshift grave.

The following day, McCrae, after seeing the field of makeshift graves blooming with wild poppies, wrote his famous poem “In Flanders Field,” which would be the second to last poem he would ever write.”

(from John McCrae at poets.org)

In Flanders Fields

by Dr. John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row, 
That mark our place, and in the sky, 
The larks, still bravely singing, fly, 
Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the dead; short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe! 
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high! 
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

This poem is in the public domain.

Soon after writing “In Flanders Fields,” McCrae was transferred to a hospital in France. Saddened and disillusioned by the war, McCrae found respite in writing letters and poetry, and wrote his final poem, “The Anxious Dead.”

In the summer of 1917, McCrae began suffering from severe asthma attacks and bronchitis. McCrae died of pneumonia and meningitis on January 28, 1918.

(This post uses affiliate links to products you may find helpful; at no extra cost to you, a small commission will be paid to this blog for support. )

sharing the HEART of health and history

I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Aletha