Paw Power

The wait is over for the Obama family and America … Bo has arrived! The six-month old Portuguese water dog moved into the White House at the beginning of the week and like everything else surrounding the Obamas, the paparazzi were on hand for the viewing.


According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, children raised with pets show many benefits. Developing positive feelings about pets can contribute to a child's self-esteem and self-confidence. Positive relationships with pets can aid in the development of trusting relationships with others. A good relationship with a pet can also help in developing non-verbal communication, compassion, and empathy. Pets can serve different purposes for children:

• They can be safe recipients of secrets and private thoughts--children often talk to their pets, like they do their stuffed animals.
• They provide lessons about life; reproduction, birth, illnesses, accidents, death, and bereavement.
• They can help develop responsible behavior in the children who care for them.
• They provide a connection to nature.
• They can teach respect for other living things.

Very young children (under 3 – 4) need to be monitored around any pet at all time. They do not have the maturity to control their aggressive impulses and they may also be curious. My daughter, not fully understanding the implications, decided to put our dog’s penis thinking it was an extra paw. Luckily Snickers (our Golden Retriever at the time) adored any attention, even that!

Young children (under 10) can and should have some responsibility for their pet, but they are not capable of fully taking care of the pet. Once they are older however, a parent needs to expect their child to be responsible.

Children are not the only ones who benefit by having a furry friend. When my husband was hospitalized for a week last year it took the visit of two therapy dogs to bring him out of his stress and frustration at being incapacitated.

Petting a dog lower blood pressure and reduces stress-induced symptoms. A study conducted at UCLA found that dog owners required much less medical care for stress-induced aches and pains than non-dog owners.

A study conducted at City Hospital in New York found that heart patients who owned pets were significantly more likely to be alive a year after they were discharged from the hospital than those who didn’t own pets. The presence of a pet was found to give higher boost to the survival rate than having a spouse or friends.
(http://www.holisticonline.com/stress/stress_pet-therapy.htm)

I can’t leave this blog without showing you a photo of the Glamma Grandma's “grandchildren.” Yes, when the 3 kids moved out, more dogs moved in. Actually the golden retriever is officially my daughter’s baby. The black lab was given to my son as a college graduation gift. (Yes, I know … we tried to talk him out of it!). She lasted with him about 6 months, came home with him for Christmas and was immediately adopted by us as oppose to living in a house with 9 guys. The final “grandchild,” the Newfoundland was first a foster child with us while my sister was in Afghanistan. He lived with us for over a year and neither we, nor the other dogs, were able to give him back (which ended up being just fine with my sister).

So … meet my furry grandchildren … Chadwick (golden retriever), Kali (black lab) and Zac (Newfoundland)

Teaching Financial Literacy

Remember the “olden” days when children hung out at their grand parents homes and lessons were taught. I learned how to knit and sew from my grandmother and have passed the sewing down to my children (girls and boys) and the knitting to my daughter and grand daughters. As modern-day Glamma Grandmas we have a tremendous amount to pass down, everything from cooking to finance to family history.

For those interested in helping your grandchildren learn personal financial principles, checkout the “Money Savvy Generation,”(http://www.msgen.com/assembled/home.html) a company founded by mom and private banker Susan Beacham and her husband with the intent of teaching money management to elementary children before bad habits developed. There is now also an intermediate personal finance curriculum for young teens in grades 6 – 10.

Newly published “Millionaire Kids Club Books” (available through Money Savvy Generation) further reinforces the learning as the series of books teach a group of childhood BFFs (Best Friends Forever) that money can have four purposes: Save, Spend, Donate, or Invest. What a concept to learn at a young age.

Running Hugs,
Glamma Grandma

You Can Never Have Too Many Books

Thinking about our grandchildren, a Glamma always attempts to spoil them rotten and this means we seek out the best of everything. I recently wandered into the local Borders bookstore and two hours later begrudgingly left with three bags of books… and a pretty penny spent. There are some “classics” that no self-respecting grandchild should have to live without and developing a good library for a baby starts him or her on the path to appreciating the written word. The following 10 books are on my personal “must-have” list.

1. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
The perfect bedtime book and even though you may have to read it more then
once each night, it slowly lulls your child to sleep.

2. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
My daughter and I loved reading this book. I would always hold her just a bit
tighter and let her know that I would always be with her.

3. On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier
The child who is read this book will know that he or she is a significant part
of the universe. The parent reading this book will realize how wonderful their
new little miracle really is.

4. Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
Find the little mouse with the banana on every page.

5. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam Mcbratney, Anita Jeram
The perfect snuggle up book that sends the perfect message.

6. Wheels of the Bus by Jerry Smith
Can a child get through childhood without this classic song? This book captures
the popular song with wonderful illustrations.

7. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Children learn counting and the days of the week as they watch a caterpillar eat
his way through the book.

8. Dr. Seuss’s ABC by Dr. Seuss
I read this book so many times to my son that both he and I memorized it.

9. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
Counting and colors are easy to enjoy with this book.

10. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
After reading this book you must make green eggs for breakfast with your child.

Running Hugs,
GlammaGrandma