Category: Children and adolescent development and health

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 and follow me on social media.

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)

How the Oklahoma City Bombing Changed Four Women’s Lives

The 24th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing was marked on April 19, 2019. 168 people died, and hundreds were injured, changing the state and the nation forever. The memorial and museum tell stories of hope, including a bombing survivor who became a doctor, and three women who studied trauma and helped survivors worldwide.

updated April 10, 2026

April 19, 2019 marked the 24th anniversary of the terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Oklahoma City is the capital of my home state and was my home for 7 years while I attended medical school and completed my residency in Family Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

From the bombing, 168 people died, hundreds were injured, and our state and our nation were changed forever. Never had there been such an act of horror and carnage on U.S. soil.

I’ve written here about the bombing and showed you pictures from the site which is now a memorial and museum. I’m doing that again but this time with news about 4 women who have turned the event into something positive.

OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM

A child survived to become a doctor

Madison Naylor was among the infants being cared for at the YMCA daycare located next door to the federal building at the time the bomb exploded. The building was heavily damaged but she and the other children survived.

“I remember when I was very young, I had a feeling that I had been really close to death, …I hope I can be something good that came from something so horrific.”

Madison Naylor, bombing survivor
some of the memorials hung on the fence that surrounded the bombing site have been left intact.

Madison grew up learning about the bombing and medicine. Her father and aunt are both physicians. She was a medical student at my alma mater, the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. She graduated and is now a pediatrician in Oklahoma City.

“I know the bombing is still a part of people’s lives here. It’s humbling to be associated with such a tragic event. I hope that I can be a positive face going forward.”

Madison Naylor, medical student

The SURVIVOR TREE remained standing when everything around it was destroyed by the bomb. It survives to this day.

“I just want to be the kind of person who leaves the world a better place than I found it.”

Madison Naylor, MS1

TILES PAINTED BY CHILDREN FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND DONATED TO THE MUSEUM ARE DISPLAYED AT THE ENTRANCE

Doctors who treated and studied the survivors

The bombing changed not only Oklahoma City, but also our state and our entire country. It was the worst terrorist event on U.S. soil until 9/11. All of us were touched in some way, but especially three women who worked in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

“None of us was thinking about studying disasters…But we kept studying …the Oklahoma City survivors over the years..Then started helping with disasters elsewhere.”

Betty Pfefferbaum, M.D., J.D. department chairman
This window in the museum overlooks the memorial.

Dr. Pfefferbaum, along with colleagues Phebe Tucker, M.D., and Sandra Allen, Ph.D. treated and studied trauma victims from the bombing and shared their findings with other doctors who use it to treat survivors around the world.

They are all still active clinically and in teaching.

Lessons learned from the OKC disaster trauma

  • Disasters affect many different groups of people beyond those at the site-family, first responders, the community
  • Terrorism victims have higher than average rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression than people who never experienced it.
  • Some people develop a biological response to disaster causing a higher resting heart rate than those not affected.

Dr. Allen developed an intervention to help children of trauma process their thoughts and feelings. Sometimes children think they have to hide their feelings or act out when they are hurting. This program helps them process those feelings and learn how to cope.

At a church across the street from the memorial

The work has rippled out into the world in ways that none of them could have imagined…

OU Medicine magazine
Words written on the wall of the former Journal Record Building which sat across from the federal building. These words, painted by a rescue team who searched for survivors that day, remain as a silent witness of the horrible event.
photos in this post taken by Dr. Aletha in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Thanks to OU Magazine and KFOR for sharing these stories.

Exploring the HEART of health

I’d love for you to follow this blog and follow me on social media.

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

“lemons into lemonade”

I am delighted that Janice Wald, author and blogger at Mostly Bloggging, called this her “favorite post ” when I submitted it to her Inspire Me Monday Linky Party. Please visit Janice’s blog where you can learn about writing, blogging, productivity, marketing, and more.


It isn’t often that I see news-related posts left here and even rarer that, when I do, they are so inspirational. The post really exemplifies the expression, “Turn lemons into lemonade.”

Janice Wald, Mostly Blogging