Happy New Year 2012 

Grandkids are interesting little critters. They are all different. Some are bright and catch on fast and others take their time in growing up.

We helped to raise our first grandchild, who is now grown and has two daughters of her own. My youngest son is 13 years older than Ashley and had been learning disabled as well as having motor movement problems. His thought ability and movements weren’t as quick as others. He had to try harder with everything in his development. 

So when Ashley came to live with us at the age of two and I watched her motor movements, I was amazed. I don’t think with my older children I paid much attention to things like how they ran, how quickly they rode a bike. I knew they did these things when they were ready.

When we moved to Florida from Ohio I couldn’t find any place where they taught motor movement skills. I knew if I didn’t have Doug continue at the age of eight it would set him back. I was a junior at the University of Central Florida and learned they had classes where the students worked with the children—most were teachers.

 At that time I was president of Seminole County Association of Learning Disabilities. I called UCF to see about enrolling my son into the program, but was told they had a long waiting list. I told them he couldn’t wait and that I was president of the local ACLD program. I didn’t care if I had to push my way through the system by using my presidency. I wanted help for my child—and I got it. Then the chair of that department suggested I take the class and work with a child. He didn’t tell me it was a Master’s class. I got permission to take it and found it interesting enough to write articles for the local newspapers.

Then when Ashley came to live with us I watched her run. I got excited to see her movements were like they should be. She talked at the age of 20 months in sentences, saying to her cousin who was a month younger than her, “Carl, why don’t you talk. Talk, Carl, talk.” A few months later Carl did talk—and he turned out to be a very bright child. I think he enjoyed taking everything in and later adding his words to what he learned around him.

I am still learning about children as each of the nine and 2 great-grandkids keep me fascinated by watching how they grow, how they learn and who has good motor movement skills and who doesn’t.

Take time to watch your children and your grandchildren. They can teach you a lot.