GRAND Magazine - February 2009 - 12

grand central Crisp piCks: Editor’s ChoiCE Susan Jones (and stunningly illustrated by Shirley Antak) that relates the journey of a relationship between a small boy and his aging grandfather. The story confronts love and death in terms of a child’s experience and gives hope without dogma, philosophy or maudlin metaphors. Highly recommended. Nana as surrogate mom: update Okay, we gasped last October when we read about Jaci Dalenberg, an Ohio woman who volunteered to be a surrogate mother for her daughter, resulting in giving birth, at 56, to her own—triplet—granddaughters. But last week we checked into “Our Life with Triplets and Teens ‘Oh My,’”  a blog written by parents Joe and Kim Coseno (cubby alert: the blog has great, loud music)…and everything seems to be just fine; it’s not the craziest idea in the world, after all, and welcome to the 21st century. Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers, founders of Fresh Baby  (“experts in green parenting”), sent us a sample of the So Easy Baby Food Kit containing a how-to video, a plastic (smart) card with nutrition information, a cookbook and two freezer trays—all intended to give parents and grandparents a kick-start into serving organic, homemade food to infants and toddlers. As an allergy-free human being who has avoided all foods with preservatives for half a century, let me make my bias clear: Making the baby’s food is not only healthy, it’s economical. Just think of all those upset tummies—not. sChools: Who is a “parEnt”? IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is a federal law incorporated into the No Child Left Behind Act. IDEA focuses on the needs of the individual child and regulates how that child, who has been identified as having a learning, emotional or physical disability, is to be served within the public school setting. A new interpretation of IDEA takes a forward look at the definition of “parent” and how a parent may relate to the information being provided. Here is the formal definition, as it relates to what is termed the “special education system”: (1) a natural or adoptive parent of a child; (2) a guardian but not the State if the child is a ward of the State; (3) a person acting in the place of a parent (such as a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, or a person who is legally responsible for the child’s welfare); (4) a surrogate parent who has been legally appointed. This identifies your right to be involved in your grandchild’s education if he or she is in a special education program. Grandparents from anywhere in the country can be helped at the Grandparents Resource Center in Denver, Colorado, (303) 980-5707; ask for Shirley Berens. In your local region, most special education teachers, directors, psychologists and school administrators are very willing to help grands understand the special education process as well as the specific programs for their grandchildren. —Harriet Williams Cooper, OH Nicholas, IL Ella, NY Natalia, CA Isabella, NC Max, OH 12 GRAND FEBRUARY 2009

http://cosenotriplets.blogspot.com/ http://www.freshbaby.com

GRAND Magazine - February 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - February 2009