HOW TO: BECOME A FOLLOWER AND ADD COMMENTS

We have been deluged with people who want to follow the blog but have had a hard time signing up. OK...here's what's what.

To become a FOLLOWER, you have to have an account with yahoo, gmail and/or twitter.

If you don't have an account with one of these, why would you possibly want another? You can use a gmail and/or yahoo accounts when you sign up for things online (newsletters, etc.), or have to make a credit card payment with an online company, etc. It's really easy to sign up and harmless, and you don't have to check it often, if at all.

To make a COMMENT, you can post one as Anonymous or with your name using your account from gmail, yahoo or twitter. Sorry, but that's the way it works on this blog site...mostly because it's owned and operated by Google.

Hope you'll create an account so that you can be a FOLLOWER.....and leave us COMMENTS

HO HO HUM

They say that during the winter holidays, children should make a list and check it twice. How about a list for great/grandparents on how to get through the holidays?

While this certainly isn’t the “be all, end all” list, here are 10 ideas to help you keep your sanity:

1. Do as much shopping as you can on the internet, and stay away from the crowds.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help…you deserve it!

3. Everyone says to plan ahead, so if you can do that, do it! If not, try to take things as they come and keep them in perspective,

4. Stay out of family arguments and choose your battles.

5. Be flexible.

6. Take care of yourself physically and mentally: go to a movie, go to a spa, get a massage, go to a yoga or tai chi class, meditate or just sit quietly and read something light.

7. Inventory things that you’re not using anymore, including family relics, and give them to your children, friends or favorite charity. This is terrifically satisfying and cleansing.

8. Traditions are important, but if you or family members want to do some tweaking, let it happen! Don’t be afraid to rethink some of the old ways.

9. Laughter is healing; catch up on those funny emails, call a funny friend, see a funny movie, or look at those photos of when you were young!

10. Realize that travelling will be hectic. Hope that you don’t get stuck in an airport, train or bus station, or get caught in unbearable traffic. If these things occur, breathe, breathe, and breathe again. Then, realize that this too shall pass!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

TEMPER! TEMPER! TEMPER!

How often do you open the paper, turn on the radio or TV and learn about someone “losing it”? Doesn't it seem that as a society we're quick to lose our temper? Joblessness, meeting monthly expenses, houses being repossessed, etc. are enough to make anyone lose their cool! However, the resulting anger can become displaced and erupt in inappropriate ways: Road rage, “going postal” and other acts of over the top frustration. Every day there seems to be a new fury in the news—

If anger is ubiquitous, then you and your great/grandchildren can be caught up in this, consciously or unconsciously. If all this is bewildering and frightening to you, imagine how much it must bother children, because anger and fear sometimes hang out together.

Think about this: You get road rage in some degree when you're driving with your great/grandchildren. While you may not get out of your car to “reprimand” the “bad” driver who just cut you off, you might, with your windows up, start to scream at or berate that person (but of course, NOT swear). While this may do something for your state of mind, it can scare your young passengers.

If you use public transportation, you can lose your temper from being jostling by other passengers. Rudeness on the part of others seems to be pandemic in our society, but, if you can maintain your calm, it can become a teaching moment on the way to act in public.

What does adult anger mean to a child? It's scary. Children don't have enough life experience to judge how far the anger will go. You know that no matter how furious you are at another driver or passenger, you wouldn't do anything to get arrested. But the children don’t know that. For young children, your loss of control can evoke very scary feelings.

An angry person often creates an uncomfortable environment. Be aware that even though your anger may be justified (that driver or passenger really did do something rude or dangerous), you may yell for 30 seconds and forget the incident. But the children may store it and bring it back up the next time you get in the car or on public transportation. Bottom line is that you have the resources to deal with the anger. The effect on the children may not be so fleeting.

Things to Think About
Parents have their own ways of dealing with melt-downs and it may be different from yours. And that’s fine! What’s important is for kids to understand that people handle things in different ways. We’re talking here about how YOU deal with your feelings when you’re with your great/grandchildren.

We all have outbursts, frustrations and melt-downs. Sometimes it’s ok to talk about anger in general with your great/grandchildren: what it is, where it comes from, when it's good and when it's bad. Sometimes you just have to leave it alone!