GRAND Magazine - November/December 2008 - 15

tips & hints GRAND CENTRAL + share & show + comments & conversation + links & legacies + wise whys & wherefores CRisp piCks: EDitoR’s ChoiCE Kazoos, plastic, by the handfuls: I’m never without a kazoo in my purse; there’s a passel of children out there who are restless, bored, frightened, shy, curious and lonely; and whipping a kazoo out of your purse and humming “You Are My Sunshine” or “The Wheels on the Bus…” can save the day, if not the world. Therefore, I recommend buying kazoos by the barrelful and handing them out (not the one you just played; mothers are funny about that). Kazoobie Kazoos, 500 colorful plastic song-makers, $210. www.kazoos.com Pop Fly, a CD with original songs by Justin Roberts, tells of the angst of the outfielder who “would rather be anywhere than here underneath this ball as it falls”. Roberts’ music was once like James Taylor’s then Brian Wilson’s but is now squarely in Moxy Früvous territory. When Roberts sings about the school field trip (“…my teacher assigned him/I really don’t mind him/anyway/it’s just for today/so let’s pack up and go…”)—I nearly cried. Safe with us, science says Sometimes it’s comforting to have scientific research on our side. The November 2008 issue of Pediatrics magazine features an article titled “Risk Factors for Unintentional Injuries in Children: Are Grandparents Protective?” (by David Bishai, Jamie L. Trevitt, Yiduo Zhang, Lara B. McKenzie, Tama Leventhal, Andrea Carlson Gielen, and Bernard Guyer, all with some forms of Dr. as a honorific, and all of whom are researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health). http:// pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/122/5/e980 Translation: Are grandparents so enfeebled, distracted, doddering and befuddled that children left in our care are endangered? Will they swallow Drano while we look for our glasses? Will we mistake them for the dog and put them outside for the night? Oh, the fears of what might happen in the hands of a 55-year-old codger…. And what did the study determine? 5,565 infants were enrolled in the study at birth 12 years ago and had follow-up visits until they were 3 years old. Data was then linked to medical claims, and claims were explained. There’s more to the methods (“multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the odds ratios of injury events ,” which I think means, would this have happened under any circumstances? Or something like that), but let’s cut to the chase: The results were that medically attended injuries decreased for children who were cared for by grandparents. (And increased in fatherless households.) Conclusion: “Having grandparents as caregivers seems to be protective.” When the San Francisco Chronicle reported on the story (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/ blogs/sfmoms/detail?&entry_id=32375), the writer, Amy Graff, quoted the lead researcher, Dr. David Bishai, “Recent growth in the number of grandparents providing childcare has some observers concerned they don’t adhere to modern safety practices. To the contrary, this research tells us not only is there no evidence to support this assumption, but families that choose grandparents to care for their children experience fewer child injuries.” Ha! One of the comments on the Chronicle’s blog (from Millicent F) said: “My inlaws watch our kids all the time. When it comes to things like organic milk, they’re not all that conscientious. But with stuff like crossing the street, climbing on a ledge, playing with a small object—they’re 10 times more concerned. My mother-in-law hovers over those kids like you wouldn’t believe….” Exactly. Now, put down that carrot and have some more M&Ms, my pretty ones…. Aaron, NY Bryce, Wesley, Shyann, IA Adelynn Claire, SD Andrea, KY Brandon, TX Isaiah, OK NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2008 GRAND 15

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/122/5/e980 http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/122/5/e980 http://www.kazoos.com http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?&entry_id=32375 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?&entry_id=32375

GRAND Magazine - November/December 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - November/December 2008