Take a good look before calling the older gentleman with the small child “grandpa.” He may well be one of the growing breed of older dads.

Just last week, 66-year-old actor Nick Nolte became the proud father of a baby girl, and on Monday music mogul Tommy Mottola, 58, announced the birth of his first child with pop signer Thalia.

These high-profile new dads are prime examples of a growing trend for later-life fatherhood, says educational psychologist and parenting expert Dr. Michele Borba.

“It’s clearly becoming more common, and for a number of reasons,” she says. “A lot of these are start-over dads, which means it’s not their first marriage, while many first-time older dads have held off due to their careers.” …

“Many start-over dads realize they put more time and effort into their jobs than they did with their families the first time around, and realize that was a mistake. So it’s a second chance to get it right,” Borba explains.

Whether it’s a first or second shot at fatherhood, Borba says older dads can outshine their younger counterparts in a number of ways.

“Number one, you get perspective with wisdom and gray hair, meaning you worry less about the little things,” she explains. “Second of all, there’s that little boost called fear of mortality. You get things done.”

Having financial stability and an established career also helps older dads spend more stress-free quality time with their offspring, she says…

Source: New York Daily News, NY
http://tinyurl.com/35bq2m

You can get into trouble when you discipline other people’s children.

It was a lovely day at the park and Stella Bianchi was enjoying the sunshine with her two children when a young boy, aged about four, approached her two-year-old son and pushed him to the ground.

“I’d watched him for a little while and my son was the fourth or fifth child he’d shoved,” she says. “I went over to them, picked up my son, turned to the boy and said, firmly, ‘No, we don’t push.’ ” What happened next was unexpected.

“The boy’s mother ran toward me from across the park,” Stella says. “I thought she was coming over to apologise but instead she started shouting at me for ‘disciplining her child’. All I did was let him know his behaviour was unacceptable. Was I supposed to sit back while her kid did whatever he wanted, hurting other children in the process?”

Getting your own children to play nice is difficult enough. Dealing with other people’s children - nieces, nephews, friends, strangers - has become a minefield. It’s a no-brainer that if the behaviour in question is unsafe or cruel, then stepping in is essential (even if you can’t expect a pat on the back from other parents) - but it’s not always that straightforward.

In my house, jumping on the sofa is not allowed. In my sister’s house it’s encouraged. For me, it’s about learning to respect your surroundings. For her, it’s about kids being kids: “If you can’t do it at three, when can you do it?”

Each of these philosophies is valid and, it has to be said, my son loves visiting his aunt’s house. But I find myself saying “no” a lot when her kids are over at mine. That’s OK when it’s a sister who understands her uptight sibling but becomes dicey territory when you’re talking to the children of friends or acquaintances…

Source: Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
http://tinyurl.com/yprnn2

It’s the end of the school holidays: and what that means, for many British grandparents, is that life is going to be a whole lot quieter. With more and more parents working, grandparents have increasingly been pressed into service as childcarers: according to a recent survey, 64% of families with working parents rely on grandparents for at least some of their childcare, saving an average of around £2,685 a year (that’s a total of £6.8bn nationally).

Ask around, and grandparent-carers will tell you the same tale: they love spending time with their grandchildren, they enjoy being able to see them more than they might otherwise, and they’re happy to be able to help their adult children out (and pleased to save them money). But scratch the surface, and you find there are often niggles, and sometimes even creeping resentments. Grandparents, after all, have their own lives: the Skipton Building Society survey also found that 36% of grandmothers who do some childcare are also juggling paid jobs, at least part-time. Grandparents have friends, and hobbies, and are at a time in their lives when they want to indulge themselves: it doesn’t always feel good to be tied to a child’s routine all over again. There are financial costs - sometimes overlooked by working parents - and there are emotional costs too. And it’s not all plain sailing even from the point of view of the adult children: yes, they’re getting childcare for free, but what about all those sweets the kids are eating all day at Grandma’s? What about the fact that she never takes them to the library, or lets them watch too much telly?

All of which explains why in the US, where around 25% of grandparents care for their grandchildren for up to 29 hours weekly, campaigners are calling for the formalisation of an arrangement that can have huge benefits all round, but also comes with pitfalls. The American Association of Retired People (AARP) says even the most idyllic of situations can go sour if issues aren’t properly worked through: and the fallout for family relationships can be painful, and far-reaching…

Source: Guardian Unlimited, UK
http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,,2164646,00.html

It’s far too early to know whether education for pre-primary schoolchildren improves their life chances. Think 20 years ahead. How many children now aged four are not going to need the services of a therapist or counsellor?

In 1962 I began work as an educational psychologist in Sydney. I was able to visit the homes of the children who were referred to me and get to know the family well. What puzzled me was why it was that very often, in a group of siblings, only one child was having difficulties.

I would inquire about the life history of each of the siblings, and I would find that the untroubled children had, at an early stage in their life, enjoyed some advantage that the troubled child had not. It might be that the older children had been born before the father had become unemployed or the mother become chronically ill. It might be that that some of the children had spent part of their time with a loving grandmother, while the troubled child had not…

The educational initiatives for pre-primary school children aim to do more than teach cognitive skills. They try to give the children the time and space to think and explore, to be creative and act upon the world. All the time they are surrounded by adults who give them affection, encouragement and praise…

Source: Guardian Unlimited, UK
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/dorothy_rowe/2007/08/early_learning_.html

Society focuses on youth

In the past, grandparents were seen as family historians, mentors, teachers, spiritual guides and role models for aging. Now our society seems to kick this generational role to the curb while focusing on the newest or youngest ideas about parenting, aging and relationships.

According to a study by AARP, 60 million U.S. adults are grandparents, one-third of the adult population. We are losing out on a valuable resource as parents if our children do not have grandparents involved in their lives. I realize that some of us may not have these role models available in our own families, but we should make a commitment to find local grandparents for our kids. With the baby boom generation retiring at record rates, many people are available to teach and mentor our kids in ways that our school system can’t replicate…

I still desperately need my grandmother. She is one of my biggest fans, and her knowledge of my grandfather is something that no one else holds…

Source: The Charlotte Observer
http://www.charlotte.com/409/story/236786.html

Thousands of parents are hiding a guilty secret. They are often completely baffled by their children’s homework. Six out of 10 admitted they struggled to answer their youngster’s questions in a recent study…

One in five adults admitted they thought their children were smarter than they were and one in three said they spent an hour a week on the internet or reading books just to keep up with their children’s education…

It comes as Ofsted, the education watchdog, said grandparents should be encouraged to help out in schools to improve grades, because so many parents are working full-time.

But a parent’s grasp of general knowledge is hardly better than their childrens’, an accompanying test revealed…

Source: Daily Mail
http://tinyurl.com/32r6s3

The debate over the importance of smaller class sizes has dominated Scottish education in recent years and was a key battleground in May’s election.

According to research, smaller class sizes, although expensive, can raise school attainment, and work best where there is a significant reduction in numbers and for children in the early years.

The executive is facing pressure to slash class sizes from unions such as the Educa-tional Institute of Scotland (EIS), which has threatened strike action in pursuit of a 20-pupil maximum in all schools and subjects…

The long-term goal of the executive is to deliver universal integrated early education and care services, similar to the Scandinavian model, giving every family access to affordable, high-quality childcare and support from the end of maternity leave.

In the short term they have also pledged to look at providing support for the increasing number of grandparents providing childcare for grandchildren under three…

Source: The Herald
http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.1476936.0.0.php

Russian women are afraid to bear children. The demographic crisis has become one of the most acute problems in present-day Russia. Recent financial incentives i.e. a bonus certificate to be paid for a second child and an increased child benefit have failed to impress every Russian woman of childbearing age. Perhaps the incentives fall short of the target because the cost of child support is being calculated by wealthy men in the capacity of government officials. It would be fair to suggest that any woman is able to bear a child thanks to the latest advances in healthcare. The issue boils down to money. The question is: Why are the majority of Russian women still reluctant to fulfill their duty of motherhood? …

Both teachers and pediatricians are appalled by numerous reports on mothers leaving their newborn babies in custody of grandmothers and nursemaids in order to get back to work just a week after the childbirth. Any authority on child health can tell you that an early postnatal separation between the mother and the newborn is arguably the worst thing that can happen to the child. However, young mother have to leave their babies at home and resume working. Earlier this year there was a glimpse of hope for those women who were paid decent salaries prior to taking a maternity leave. Their salaries could have remained intact for at least the period of a maternity leave…

Source: PRAVDA
http://english.pravda.ru/russia/history/07-06-2007/92979-women-0

When child care providers fail, parents often call in sick, quit, or go to work and worry…

Despite decades of debate, child care remains one of the biggest challenges for many employees. The shortage of quality care forces absences, tardiness and turnover like no other issue, experts say.

Though employees still face the brunt of the problem alone, employers are starting to recognize that the lack of quality care is an issue they need to be paying attention to…

Each week 63 percent of American children 5 and younger go off to day care. Annually, parents in Kansas and Missouri spend an average of $4,000 to $6,000 — in some cases more than state college tuition — on child care.

But often that tab doesn’t include any type of formal early learning component, which experts increasingly believe is important to how a child performs in kindergarten and beyond. While their parents work, more than three-quarters of children go to a grandparent or other relative or to an in-home day care, according to the National Association of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies. Only 18 percent go to child care centers, while about 5 percent go to preschool…

Source: Kansas City Star
http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/135979.html

The warnings are real because the dangers are real. And nowhere is the issue of obesity more pressingly felt than in our children and young people…

Our children have never been fatter, and contrary to popular belief it’s not actually because they’re eating more.

Research has shown that calorie intake today is lower than it was in the 1960s; the problem is that activity levels are also lower, much lower.

As a result obesity rates have tripled during the past 20 years and if trends continue, by 2020 at least 20% of all boys and 33% of girls will be obese…

Numerous studies point to the fact that the way children start their life will determine how they will remain for the rest of their lives, so if they’re overweight now, they’re likely to become overweight or obese adults.

So why are our children turning into couch potatoes? One of the biggest problems is that exercise simply is not a normal part of life any more…

Mary Sheppard, Director of Fitness Wales, is a strong believer in starting young.

“Children naturally enjoy being active, so parents should encourage this with a wide variety of opportunities which are fun,” she said. “This not only helps the whole family to keep fit and healthy – why not encourage the grandparents to get involved too – but helps children see that exercise is for life.

“And forming a good habit early on is far easier than breaking a bad one later…

So if you’ve been wondering what they should be doing, how long they should be doing it and how you can get them do it, read on…

Source: icWales.co.uk
http://tinyurl.com/2dlmud