Will that be Package A or Package B??

University life is now finished. As our children return from whence they came, a new dilemma presents itself: a job to match the degree they worked so hard to obtain. Today’s modern age does little to fulfill the rest of the dream towards which our children are working.... Jobs are not in plentiful supply...  Positions in Fortune Five Hundred companies are not waiting for them...  Where people used to be, a machine called the computer, in all of its many forms, is now in their place. This is progress, we are told.  Our children are vying for too few positions that remain and until employment is found the questions that beckon to be answered are, “Where do I live? "How will I eat?”

Returning graduates are now dealing with similar challenges we faced many years ago: finding a job and a place to live with an added twist: the student loan. Until these major dilemmas are solved, it makes economic sense to live at home once again with a couple of changes. Here comes choice: Is it package A or B that you wish?

The teens or- middle managers- of yesteryear are gone. Newly minted ‘educated’ adults are now in their place and living with us.... In Package A, we have the ‘home edition’ where all things remain as they did many years ago when each family member contributed in a significant way to the functioning and wellbeing of the family unit: household duties, care of aging pets, etc, car maintenance, lawns and so forth. The perks here: using family car/ carpooling and saving most /all earned  income for the eventual escape into “freedom’... Do not get too comfortable, however... Living with mom and dad is a starting point not an end point! ...(Remember, it is important to get a job not the job!)

Package B is the ‘hotel edition’, the one we all covet but dare not ask for... It is the expensive package that, from the outset, sounds awfully tempting but upon closer examination, is not for us... It allows for total abdication from all responsibilities...With me so far?...  All meals are provided and like a hotel, rooms are cleaned for you. The come, go and do as you please policy is fun, momentarily...No overnight guests, however, unless previously discussed with management team... Room charges will begin immediately and there is no family car for your use... (Hotels do not include the use of vehicles owned by them in the daily room rate....so car rental might be your next best choice.)  

The home edition was always the preferred choice, though, at times, there was an inclination to fall into the ‘hotel’ package... A re-working of these packages was unavailable... ( In the real world, the changing of policies and prices is rarely done)...  Our family pets benefitted the most as they had on- the- spot top notch care with those who knew them well while mom and dad were away on one/two day mini vacations, from time to time...

As time passed it became obvious that a deep bond was forming among our grown sons, something that might not have been possible otherwise...To mock families who have ‘live-at-home’ adult children is to make a mockery of family structure...Helping out deserving members in a family is the meaning of life and family. ...  (We are not talking about lazy, loser, watching television, on the computer all day long, do nothing children, or moochers, as some talk show hosts would have you believe)... Returning children return for a reason. We all suffer hardship from time to time and need help. Helping and being helped are not mutually exclusive...They are the cornerstone of family and community, the building blocks of a caring society... Now, will that be package A or package B?

  

We're Smarter Than You!

As I entered the grade one classroom, I could hear the students gasp... Without missing a beat, a voice was heard shouting, “We’re smarter than adults!” ...It was a thrilling end to a class lesson on making bread. The 24 mini loaves of bread being carried into the classroom had made their mark on the bubbling crowd of students. The concerted efforts and tremendous accomplishments of the students that afternoon had produced incredibly risen, baked to perfection bread...  Had Wayne Gretzky entered the classroom at that moment he might not have been noticed!

I had been asked by the grade one teacher do something with her class... We had met on many occasions as I volunteered across the hall in the classroom of  ‘Mary’, the primary intensive language-primary lead- teacher of the school our sons had attended...Up to that point, I had been visiting Mary’s class two mornings a week teaching her students the basics of yeast dough, teaching them to think... It had all begun in 1994.    

Working with dough had become the focus of my attention as I volunteered with Mary... Attention and working memory, among other things, had been the challenges facing her class. It was then that yeast dough came to be, a hands-on activity that was safe, cost effective, transferable to any environment, and stimulated all five senses of the body... Enriched environments had become my passion now and yeast dough was this enriched environment, grabbing the attention of every student in the class. Unless strongly connected to the use of language, yeast dough was almost a pointless exercise for these children. It was engagement and thinking at its best.

Yeast dough was a program whose continual use of language propelled these youngsters into the realm of expert...It allowed the world into the hearts and minds of these special children. As time passed, the students became the teacher enabling other ‘weaker’ students gain the necessary skill set and confidence to bring about positive learning outcomes. Language was the engine that drove  the yeast dough program. ...It was the miracle in the special needs classroom...The brain was engaged in higher order thinking: the students had to make ongoing determinations about many things based upon their current knowledge. Was the dough ready?... Why?... Was the temperature correct?...  Why?... Had enough time passed for the next step?...Why?... The questions were never ending and always thought provoking...  They had to be...  Real life was waiting for these children and cushioning them from that reality was simply delaying the inevitable harshness and cruelty that life can be. The program’s aims were to develop sharp, higher order thinking skills now. Chemistry, physics, algebra, geometry-(my favourite) began to have meaning  and were  now a fun part of school life.

Prior to my participation in this grade one bread making class, I had asked a few adults about their experiences making bread. All had expressed misgivings and failure at the seeming difficult task of making it...  Perhaps, the young boy knew what he was talking about when he said his classroom of grade one students was smarter than me! ...  Out of the mouth of babes...

The grade one class was already at the top of its learning game. Making bread simply refined what the class already knew and understood...  With Mary’s special children, yeast dough was helping to level the academic playing field for them and was a daily reminder that asking questions was a part of life...  Scientists knew it...  Now they did, too...It was succeeding beyond our wildest imagination... Gluten was now infiltrating their minds at play time...   What was happening?...  We smiled at their transformation...

Start Your Engines...We Have Lift Off...

It has been described as the most important meal of the day. And for children, breakfast is a very important meal. It is a time, when the developing body is in need of its first food of the day, food that will kick start their metabolism for a day of learning fun and action. Children are little volcanoes, moving in all directions, but requiring the proper fuel to meet their specific needs.

For the breakfasts of yesteryear, Cream of wheat, Oat Bran, Red River Cereal and Oatmeal were menu favourites... To this day they are still favourites of mine!..   Introducing children to these old timers and other newcomers goes a long way to building a morning eating routine that will stand the test of time while fortifying mind and body. Mixing these cereals together is also a great way to have it all. The result of combining these ‘hot’ cereal grains for breakfast sends flavour through the roof as it provides  varied nutritional components for optimal health. Other complimentary foods can be added such as:  fruits, liquids- milk or juice, seeds and nuts to make a hot bowl of cereal a special treat.

Filling up on simple carbohydrates in the morning is a pointless exercise. These foods do nothing for a growing child except agitate and excite the body and mind while inducing hunger. A steady stream of nutritious calories throughout the day is critical for the developing body to be able to perform at peak efficiency. It also has a calming effect on the brain... A developing body requires absolute attention to diet... Since a child’s appetite might be less than expected in the a.m., food offerings should be a priority. Last night’s leftover dinner might be an idea worth pursuing. If you made it, it must be good! Eggs can also be utilized in a host of different ways using chopped vegetables and made to order in little time. Mini omelettes can be cooked ahead of time and re-heated in the morning.

Juicing is another great way to introduce foreign foods into your child’s diet.  It is amazing what can be hidden in a juiced beverage while using regular fare such as: apples, oranges, grapes and other familiar fruits or vegetables. Blending or creating ‘smoothies’ also leaves an indelible mark on the appetite. It knocks it down to zero. The vitamins and minerals are also in a format that  the body can utilize almost immediately...The pureeing of whole fruits- (minus the pits/seeds) mixed greens, in a mixed concoction with ‘homemade’ juice you created becomes the best fast food imaginable. Be sure to wash all fruit etc ...  Peel and core as required...Use organic, if possible.

Breakfast is a critical  first meal of the day for children. Their bodies have been at rest in readiness for the demands of the  next hectic day. ‘Quality dining’ is a priority. Only a small amount of food of high nutritional benefit is required to sustain the body for a period of time...Amazingly, a simple apple can shut down hunger instantly as it provides health benefits.

The breakfast meal invites all manner of foods in various disguises (loaded with sugars) as breakfast solutions. Be selective in what you choose.  We cripple our best intentions for our growing children when we give in to the morning time crunch with highly processed foods....Hunger is almost a permanent state of being when the wrong foods enter our bodies...  Time spent organizing and planning the first meal of the day will become  a time honoured tradition and investment in our children’s future life goals, one breakfast at a time.