Enjoying a Grandchild

Joseph's choice of activity for the day was to share the Bishop Museum with his dad. Dad thought he was going to get culture. He got some of that, but he also got a lot of hands-on science along the way.

Science at the Bishop Museum has a somewhat different focus than similar facilities on the mainland. Here, the focus is on indigenous plants and animals, volcanoes and their products, and waves. The 3-story model volcano contains exhibits of volcanic products, periodically belches steam/smoke, and houses at its lowest level the Hot Spot where they tell you about how the various volcanic products are produced -- and then pour molten rock from a 2700 degree F furnace onto a sheet of heavy metal to show what lava looks like right of nature's own hot spot, the magma pool deep under a volcanic area. There are several displays about waves -- waves around the islands; what wind makes b-i-g waves where I am; and demonstrations of several mechanisms creating waves.

At the planetarium we sat back and watched the stars visible tonight over Hawaii. We found Orion the Hunter trying to reach the Pleiades, those seven young sisters riding on the shoulder of Taurus the Bull. Behind Orion we saw Leo the Lion, Scorpio (whom the Hawaiians described as a fish hook), and the Gemini twins Castor and Pollux. We saw the planets Saturn, Mercury and Jupiter rising in the early morning sky, with the sun close behind them. We even saw the Southern Cross, not far above the horizon.

We enjoyed the animation exhibit sponsored by the Cartoon Network and on loan from the Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, Oregon, as well as the displays currently open in the still-being-refurbished Hawaii Hall. The main display area with most of the Hawaiian exhibits will not reopen until later this year. In the photo at the top of this screen, Joseph is working at the station about computer-animated images of events we cannot photograph -- in this case, the arrival of a robotic vehicle on Mars. Maybe it's my own video production experience, but I found this exhibit much more interesting than the one on sharks that occupied the space last winter.

By 2:00 (we had arrived at 9:30 a.m.) we were all ready to move on. I headed over to see my dad and pick up his dirty laundry. By 4:00 this grandma was glad to be home and able to put her feet up.

Nancy Ruth, Joe and Joseph headed for the Elks Club and some beach time. Nancy called later. Joseph had found a playmate. Sunset Beach has its fame, but is a destination unto itself. It doesn't have all the things that Waikiki offers to keep 9-year-old boys entertained. Tomorrow they are moving to town.

Give thanks for your family, however it has grown. Give thanks for grandchildren -- God's promise that the world will go on. Don't forget to pray.

To the Mothers of 9-Year-Olds

At least two of you out there are parents of 9-year-olds. As I was raking leaves this morning a thought struck me. Just yesterday those 9-year-olds were new babies. Wasn't it this morning that they were learning to walk, to ride a bike, tie shoe laces, and heading off to kindergarten? High school graduation is a million years in the future. Right along there with the driver's license and college tuition.

Here's the bad news. By the time those wonderful 9-year-old children turn 18, they will be champing at the bit to be somewhere else. Anywhere else. How did you feel at 18? Yes, at least one of you wished at 18 that she had parents to go home to. At least one of you might have enjoyed a more traditional nuclear family. At least one of you was pushing out into new frontiers of independence. Ray and I used to laugh together and say that God gives us teen-agers so that when it is time for our children to leave home, we breathe a huge sign of relief and say, "GO!" Oh, we still love you. Nothing can change that. We want you to come home regularly, to keep in touch, to tell us how you feel and what you are thinking about. But we don't want you hanging about the house as irresponsible adults, either. So we teach our children to be independent, to think for themselves, to take responsibility for their actions, and to challenge those ideas, beliefs and practices they believe are unjust. Then we sputter and spit and shed a tear or two when they do just that! You will, too.

Consider. Nine is half of 18. If you have 9-year-olds, they are already half-way out your door. Cherish them. Guide them. Bribe them and compromise with them. Teach them about the logical consequences (positive and negative) of their behavior. What other important lessons do they need to learn in their second 9 years of life? Will they be as ready as they think they are? Never. As ready as they need to be? Perhaps. Missed at home? Always.

The other day I heard a radio piece about a mother in the southern US who allowed her 10-year-old son to walk -- alone -- to baseball practice. Son begged and pleaded to be allowed this privilege. Parents had taken all the proper precautions at home. He knew the way, had walked it several times with family. He knew not to get into a car with strangers. He had a cell phone with him. Mom would run one errand and arrive at the ball field about 15 minutes after the start of practice. I don't remember if they had told the coach he was walking alone. Several adults saw him en route. They called the police, who responded and drove the child to the ball field. Mother, when she arrived, was thoroughly chastised and accused of child endangerment. Who were the responsible adults in this case? The parents, who allowed their son to exercise a bit of independence? Those who called the police? The police? I don't know. I tend to support the parents.

Never again will a 3-year-old and a 7-year-old get on a bus together, ride to the end of the line, go to the zoo, and then catch a bus home. Too bad. I have fond memories of those trips. My brother and I did it more than once.

Give thanks for children -- ours and those who touch our lives. Don't forget to pray!