Grandparents

Ella Johnson thought she was done raising kids. Then one night her daughter, asleep in bed with her 1-year-old son, died of a heart condition, and Johnson suddenly found herself mothering a grieving grandchild who clung to the picture of his dead mother. The mother of three grown children, Johnson had plenty of experience with patching skinned knees and soothing teenage mood swings, but taking on the family's youngest generation brought a new set of worries about how to make ends meet and how to provide the right environment for her grandson, DaQuan'Ta Harper, who is now 12. So she eagerly signed on to a National Institutes of Health research study started this year that provides grandparents around the country with practical advice and support for raising grandchildren.

Ella Johnson thought she was done raising kids. Then one night her daughter, asleep in bed with her 1-year-old son, died of a heart condition, and Johnson suddenly found herself mothering a grieving grandchild who clung to the picture of his dead mother. The mother of three grown children, Johnson had plenty of experience with patching skinned knees and soothing teenage mood swings, but taking on the family's youngest generation brought a new set of worries about how to make ends meet and how to provide the right environment for her grandson, DaQuan'Ta Harper, who is now 12. So she eagerly signed on to a National Institutes of Health research study started this year that provides grandparents around the country with practical advice and support for raising grandchildren.

Let's face it, our country isn't filled with people who want to keep other people's children. In most instances, these "care-givers" don't make enough money, don't get promotions, tenure or retirement, do they?In the United States, family values have slipped, children sometimes seem a burden to be reckoned with, and it didn't take Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood to tell us that. Until immigration laws change, things will be difficult for the baby boomers and their children. I'd say there is a day-care gap that is getting wider.

On April 20 my husband and I attended the Spring Music Festival of the Kindergarten at Ilchester Elementary School. Our grandson participated in this, and he is the second of our grandchildren to go through Ilchester. After the program, we were able to observe several activities in his classroom and other parts of the school. We both came away from this with so much gratitude and pride. This school building is beautiful with permanent and temporary art displays. It is well-equipped, clean, and inviting, but that is not the best part of this school community.

On April 20 my husband and I attended the Spring Music Festival of the Kindergarten at Ilchester Elementary School. Our grandson participated in this, and he is the second of our grandchildren to go through Ilchester. After the program, we were able to observe several activities in his classroom and other parts of the school. We both came away from this with so much gratitude and pride. This school building is beautiful with permanent and temporary art displays. It is well-equipped, clean, and inviting, but that is not the best part of this school community.

When Sol Rom was a little boy growing up in Mexico, he had a hard time staying in school.His school was not like an ordinary school. It was a big old church in Juarez, Mexico. It had large windows with small openings.He remembered the singing birds and the buzzing bees and how they beckoned to him to come out and play."I remember when I went to first grade, there were so many children," recalled the 64-year-old Baltimore County resident. "They would sit on the windowsills of the big windows in the old church.

Baltimore prosecutors said today they will seek two sentences of life without parole for a man charged with beating his elderly grandparents to death in August in Guilford.The announcement was made at a hearing in which Michael Edward Reiriz was arraigned on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Drs. Walter and Mary Loch.Mr. Reiriz, with dark hair hanging well below the shoulders of his short-sleeved shirt, pleaded not guilty to the murder charges. Baltimore Circuit Judge Mabel E. Hubbard then set his trial for Feb. 1 before Judge Clifton J. Gordy.

Q: My children are 5 and 20 months, and I'm concerned about leaving them with the grandparents for a week while we go on vacation. How traumatic is that going to be?-- Criena Sekhon, Victoria,British ColumbiaA: The experience should be wonderful for a healthy, happy 5-year-old, parents and experts say. Predicting a 20-month-old's reaction is a bit more tricky.The questions to ask yourself are these:Does your toddler lean toward the mature or immature side of the developmental spectrum? How well does the younger child know these grandparents?

My parents are coming for Thanksgiving and I'm already nervous. Our 9-year-old has ADHD. He is very active and impulsive, but he does well at school with medication. My parents seem to think his behavior at home is a result of poor disciplining on our part and are very harsh with him. He dreads their visits. Any suggestions?Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder have a medical condition that makes it difficult for them to pay attention and to control their behavior. They can be quite a challenge for their families, and it helps to remember that their overactive behavior and impulsiveness are not their fault.

My 2-year-old granddaughter cries when she sees me or my husband or anyone new. I have tried ignoring her when I go to her home, but she screams so loud I have to leave. How I long to hold her and love her. Can anyone help?To a 2-year-old child -- who may not see Grandma all that often -- Grandma is nothing more than a stranger.If you keep that in mind, it's easier to understand that Grandma is only going to get what she wants if her granddaughter gets what she needs -- the reassurance that Grandma's presence doesn't mean the disappearance of Mom and Dad."

Kristy and Tony Elkins, of Joppa, announce the birth of their first child, Adriana. Adriana was born at 5:21 p.m. March 5 at Franklin Square Hospital. She weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long. Paternal grandparents include Lynda and Larry Hodges, of Forest Hill, and Gerald Elkins, of Ocean Pines. Maternal grandparents include Glenda Ripka and Jay Witmer, of Bellefonte, Pa.

Karen McMorrow and Daniel Biederman , of Ellicott City, announce the birth of their son, Jack Aiden Biederman , on Nov. 7, 2011, at 4:19 p.m. He weighed 9 pounds, 10 ounces. His sister is Darcy. His maternal grandparents are Keith and Deanna Prewitt, and James and Patricia McMorrow. His paternal grandparents are Paul and Hazel Biederman, of Columbia. Dan and Jill Ruppe , of Ellicott City, announce the birth of their son, Winston Daniel Ruppe , on Dec. 13, 2011, at 2:36 a.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces.

Jessica and Patrick Sharp, of North Laurel, announce the birth of their son, Elliott Joseph Sharp, on Dec. 12, 2011 at 2:06 a.m. He weighed 9 pounds, 8 ounces, and is the baby brother of Samantha. Grandparents are Paul and Marilyn Johnson, of North Laurel; Sheryl Browning, of Columbia; and Lennie Sharp, of Ellicott City.

Relatives of a 9-year-old boy killed by a falling tree at a Carroll County nature camp two years ago have filed a $12 million suit against the county, contending that camp managers should have protected the boy by cutting the dead hickory tree down before it fell and keeping children inside during high winds the morning of the accident. Noah F. Asid's mother, Katherine A. Asid, and his late father's parents, Philip G. and Shirley J. Asid, filed the three-count wrongful death suit Wednesday morning in Carroll County Circuit Court.

Despite the fact doctors and lawyers and a few other professionals have a disdain for cursive (decent) handwriting, it is still an essential tool to properly identify a signature especially on documents ("Crossing out cursive?" Nov. 27). Cursive avoidance is not new or recent experience - ask grandparents who receive a "thank you" from grandchildren for gifts that are always printed. Some now even emulate the harsh scribble of the professionals. Richard L. Lelonek, Baltimore

Kimberly and Travis Williams , of Columbia, announce the birth of their son, Brayden Paul Williams , on Oct. 17, 2011, at 8:02 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces. His siblings are Keagan and Landon. His grandparents are Linda Hayden, of Silver Spring; Paul Hayden, of Lititz, Pa.; and Lena Williams, of Reisterstown. Renee and Gary Williams Jr. , of Columbia, announce the birth of their daughter, Jeanne Lillian Williams , on Sept. 8, 2011, at 7:04 p.m. She weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces.

Spending time with grandparents is not only fun for our children, but the intergenerational contact offers a sense of continuity and belonging beyond the immediate family.Learning to tie a fishing lure or writing a poem for the first time, playing Scrabble, these are the lessons and memories grandparents provide.Here are some fun ideas to create traditions and build the grandchild-grandparent bond.* Make a point of talking frequently about your child's grandparents. Telling about an adventure when Mom was young and drove the car for the first time with Grandpa creates vivid images for children.

City social services workers say they may have found the grandparents of "Baby Heather," the 1-year-old girl who was abandoned by her mother in South Baltimore in September.After local media publicized the child's plight last week, a couple claiming to be the child's grandparents called social services.The grandparents, whose names have not been released, indicated they have not seen Baby Heather's parents for some time, said Sue Fitzsimmons, spokeswoman for the Baltimore Department of Social Services.

Jeff and Corinne Plank , of Baltimore, announce the birth of their daughter, Whitney Elizabeth Plank , on Oct. 4. Her grandparents are Mike and Sissy Plank, of Ellicott City; Mary Anne and Tom Williams, of Perry Hall; and Susan and Harold Campbell, of Abingdon.