Our guests have first-hand experience with dyslexia. Tricia Cook embraces her gift of dyslexia. She has learned strategies to help her brain compensate for its learning differences, and she teaches others how to learn effectively.
Our second guest is Tracy Peterson, a veteran teacher who along with her former student, Sloane LeFrance, wrote Cartwheels: Finding Your Special Kind of Smart, a lively look at a real student who would rather do cartwheels than read because reading frustrates her.
Welcome to the podcast episode that highlights the works of PositiveKidsToday.com — a website filled with books, apps, programs and resources developed to support the emotional and mental wellbeing of children.
Niki Spears and Brandi Pillow, a mother and daughter team, aim to help young children develop positive attitudes about themselves and their worlds. Niki, a mother of three girls and a former educator, understands the way in which children see themselves can impact their successes with building strong trusting relationships. Niki knows that struggle, so she and Brandi provide young children with strategies to support their embracing a healthy mindset!
To accomplish that goal, my guest today, Niki Spears, the author of a series of books inspired by her granddaughter Baelor, joins me today to discuss her first two books The Hand Hug and Kindness Is Contagious Too!
The Hand Hug is a sweet story about Baelor, a little girl who is experiencing worrisome thoughts and doesn’t know how to transform them. She is starting a new school and feeling anxious about whether her classmates will like her and if she will make new friends. Suddenly, she discovers The Hand Hug and it changes her life!
Kindness is Contagious Too! helps Baelor and her classmates cope with school being closed because of the pandemic. Ms. Thomas, Baelor’s teacher, challenges students to come up with a plan to help fight the virus while they’re home. The children learn that kindness is just as contagious as the virus!
To learn more about the Adventures with Grammy podcast, or to be a guest, visit adventureswithgrammy.com/podcast
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Adolescents begin to use marijuana, alcohol or other drugs for many reasons. Some use it to fit in with friends; others seek the drug out of curiosity or submit to peer pressure. Many, like the majority of our guest’s former patients, use it to relieve anxiety or some other intolerable feeling. Most adolescents are unaware of how marijuana adversely impacts their developing brain.
How do parents know if their children are using marijuana?
The National Institute on Drug Abuse recommends parents keep aware of changes in their children’s behavior. Declining grades, missing classes, loss of interest in things they once enjoyed or their favorite activities, changes in sleeping or eating habits, or getting into trouble in school or law enforcement could all be related to drug use or may indicate other problems.
If your children are using marijuana, the National Institute on Drug Abuse believes they might:
* seem unusually giggly and/or uncoordinated
* have very red, bloodshot eyes or use eye drops often
* have a hard time remembering things that just happened
* have drugs or drug paraphernalia – possibly claiming they belong to a friend
* have strangely smelling clothes or bedroom
* use incense and other deodorizers
* wear clothing or jewelry or have posters that promote drug use
* have unexplained lack of money or extra cash on hand.
There is help!
Richard Capriola spent 11 years working as an addictions counselor for Menninger Clinic in Houston, Texas, before retiring in 2019. Menninger Clinic is one of the top ten psychiatric hospitals in the United States and specializes in the assessment, stabilization and treatment of adults and adolescents with substance abuse and psychiatric disorders. During his tenure there he worked in the Adolescent Treatment program and the adult Comprehensive Psychiatric Assessment and Stabilization program. Working closely with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and nurses, he was responsible for comprehensive assessments and individual and group counseling with patients diagnosed with substance use disorders. Prior to working at Menninger Clinic, Capriola worked as a mental health crisis counselor in central Illinois.
Now retired, he lives with his wife in a suburb of Houston. He enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with his family. He has one son, two stepchildren and four grandchildren.
Joi Warburton, a grandmother to nine girls and one boy, shares her values and wisdom about parenting and grandparenting.
https://www.instagram.com/joiwar/
Links to organizations and books mentioned in the podcast are below:
Beatrice’s Goat by Page McBrier
Based on a true story, this heartwarming picture book shows how one gift changed the fate of a poor Ugandan family—especially the young girl who wanted to go to school.
More than anything, Beatrice longs to be a schoolgirl. But in her small African village, only children who can afford uniforms and books can go to school. Beatrice knows that with six children to care for, her family is much too poor. But then Beatrice receives a wonderful gift from some people far away—a goat!
Fat and sleek as a ripe mango, Mugisa (“luck”) gives milk that Beatrice can sell. With Mugisa’s help, Beatrice’s dream may come true after all!
Heifer Project International is a charitable organization that donates livestock to poor communities around the world, giving other families like Beatrice’s a chance to change their lives.
One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway
Inspired by true events, One Hen tells the story of Kojo, a boy from Ghana who turns a small loan into a thriving farm and a livelihood for many.
After his father died, Kojo had to quit school to help his mother collect firewood to sell at the market. When his mother receives a loan from some village families, she gives a little money to her son. With this tiny loan, Kojo buys a hen.
A year later, Kojo has built up a flock of 25 hens. With his earnings Kojo is able to return to school. Soon Kojo’s farm grows to become the largest in the region.
Kojo’s story is inspired by the life of Kwabena Darko, who as a boy started a tiny poultry farm just like Kojo’s, which later grew to be the largest in Ghana, and one of the largest in west Africa. Kwabena also started a trust that gives out small loans to people who cannot get a loan from a bank.
One Hen shows what happens when a little help makes a big difference. The final pages of One Hen explain the microloan system and include a list of relevant organizations for children to explore.
One Hen is part of CitizenKid: A collection of books that inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens.
Heifer international https://www.heifer.org/
Giving an animal is like giving someone a small business, providing wool, milk, eggs and more. Animal donations can provide families a hand up, increasing access to medicine, school, food and a sustainable livelihood. Your animal donation will support the lives of families in need. The one you choose is up to you. Tweets by Heifer
https://www.facebook.com/heiferinternational
instagram @heiferinternational)
World Vision https://www.wvi.org
World Vision’s focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. It helps children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by its Christian faith. “Together we can protect children today and empower them for tomorrow.” Robert Pierce, in 1950, founded World Vision as a service organization to meet the emergency needs of missionaries. In 1975, development work was added to World Vision’s objectives. It is active in more than 90 countries with a total revenue including grants, product and foreign donations of USD 2.90 billion.
https://www.Facebook.com/worldvision Tweets by WorldVisionUSA
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtxKQOd8elJbs7wn9b7gevg
Please sign up for my monthly newsletter, which is for grandparents who want to make a positive difference in their grandchildren’s lives, and for parents who want to ensure that special grandparent bond between their parents and their children. Articles will give you exclusive content I will not share on social media and a heads-up about events, products and books I think you will find interesting. To sign up, click here! Let me know your thoughts about the podcast: carolyn@adventureswithgrammy.com!
Lisa Holliday, a grandmother who is raising her granddaughter, is today’s guest.
Lisa founded helpinggrandparents.com because when she stepped in to help her grandchild, she found few resources available for grandparents. She doesn’t want that for other grandparents who experience similar difficult times.
She has a Facebook group by the same name and offers a virtual support group to grandparents across the globe.
Facebook: Helping Grandparents
Werehelpinggrandparents@gmail.com
Three books she recommends (all copy from Amazon descriptions):
Are you one of nearly 3 million grandparents across North America raising your grandchildren as part of a grandfamily? You may have done all this parenting stuff before, but times have changed since you raised your own kids, and you likely never thought you’d be raising kids again.
What has led to all these family issues and the growing need for grandparents to step up? Now more than ever, substance use and addiction have made many birth parents simply unfit for the job, whether the problem is alcohol, opioids, or other drugs. Family dynamics might also be undermined by parents’ mental health or medical problems, incarceration, or a simple lack of preparedness for family responsibilities. Whatever the reason for your new role, you must now help your grandchildren adjust to their extended family as part of their everyday life, through the best care you are able to provide. While your new role means that you will likely have to change the way you live, the kinship care you provide your grandchildren might make all the difference in the world.
In The Grandfamily Guidebook—which leading medical experts have called a “must-have” resource for grandparents raising grandchildren—authors Andrew Adesman, MD, and Christine Adamec offer expert medical advice, helpful insights gleaned from other grandparents, and data mined from the 2016 Adesman Grandfamily Study—the broadest and most diverse research study of its kind to date. You’ll also find hands-on tips you’ll be able to reference whenever you need them, including how to cope with difficult birth parents, school issues and social-life challenges, problem behaviors that stem from a difficult past, and your own self-care.
Starting with its foreword by the renowned Dr. William Sears, across this book you will find practical, inspiring help as you navigate the financial impacts, legal considerations, and medical issues that commonly arise when grandparents and grandchildren start becoming a grandfamily.
Are you caring for a child with BIG emotions related to loss and childhood trauma? A Grandfamily for Sullivan is a therapeutic story, designed with soothing imagery and sensitive language to help children cope with life after adverse childhood experiences (ACES). Sullivan is a scared koala who suddenly has to live with his Grandma when his parents are unable to keep him safe. He is worried about his parents and what will happen next in his life, but he is too afraid to talk to Grandma about his thoughts and feelings. One day at the park, Grandma tries to be helpful, but Sullivan lashes out at her in anger! While he is taking time to cool off, Sullivan meets a friend who walked in his shoes before. This new friend teaches Sullivan how to find the courage to move forward with his life.In this tenderhearted story, a child removed from his parents due to abuse and neglect can find hope using the same techniques that help Sullivan manage his thoughts and feelings. Throughout the story, children learn to: Identify sensations in their bodies related to negative emotions, build mindfulness skills for managing anxiety, find the courage to share their thoughts with others, understand that all families are different, and accept that life is often uncertain. A Grandfamily for Sullivan builds awareness for foster, kinship, and adoptive families, and teaches children how to empathize with peers from various family constellations. It is a must-read book to help reduce bullying and instill empathy for children who are raised by someone other than their biological parents. Come join Sullivan, his Grandma, and a wise friend as they weather the storms of life in this empowering story about family separation, courage, and what it’s like to become a grandfamily. A Grandfamily for Sullivan is a crucial resource for families broken apart by mental health issues, incarceration, and the opioid epidemic. But, this book is more than a story, it is empowering young people to take control of their mental health. In the back of the book there is a list of remarkable people who have been raised by grandparents or relatives, additional coping techniques for children, and trauma-informed parenting guidance.
Written from a child’s point of view, this touching picture book centers around a nontraditional family of grandparents raising their grandchild.
Sometimes It’s Grandmas and Grandpas shares a child’s experience living with and being cared for by grandparents through the eyes of a cheerful and delightful little girl. Uplifting watercolor illustrations give extra warmth to this caring and loving story, to which a growing number of children can identify―over 4.5 million children in the United States are primarily cared for by a grandparent.
Poignant moments expressing the child’s curiosity and questions give way to comforting and playful exchanges at home with Nonnie and Poppy. Spending the day with this grandparent–led family, we see that it’s not always Mommies or Daddies that care for children, and that’s okay!
Sometimes It’s Grandmas and Grandpas is the winner of the 2012 Book Award for Best Children’s Literature on Aging in the primary reader category from the The K-12 Committee of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE). It provides a great resource for children who seek reassurance about their particular experience. This unique book will appeal to any grandparent raising or providing long–term care for a grandchild, as well as any teacher who wants to educate children about nontraditional families. Sometimes It’s Grandmas and Grandpas sensitively addresses a topic that has been nearly absent in the children’s book market, until now.
Support group
Parents of Addicted Loved Ones provides hope and support through addiction education for parents dealing with an addicted loved one. https://palgroup.org/
