The Grandparent Thread

I totally understand. I caught something respiratory from the grandkids in January, likely RSV, which developed into pneumonia. I coughed for two month! Those baby snuggles are lovely, but so germy!

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Same here. Thankfully, my husband is 95% over the pneumonia he got as a consequence of what we think was the RSV brought to us by the little walking Petri dishes. :petri_dish: Husband says he will be getting the RSV shot despite his doctor’s “concerns” which is total BS.

Hope you will feel better soon!

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Oh no… you too? Hope you’re feeling better.

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I’ve had every shot under the sun. I’m sure I had the RSV one as well. Regardless, I’m down to only three naps a day. :astonished:

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On my fourth day at my son’s house with 3 of my grandchildren (almost 5,3 and 1). I usually spend a few days a month with them and came down with a bug after my visit in January, February and March. The 3 year old has some sort of stomach bug which so far no one else has gotten. Fingers and toes crossed!!

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Apologies if this has been asked before, but is anyone familiar with edutainment software that can be used on a computer with keyboard? We have a couple of apps on an old iPad that GD has enjoyed. One is a Cat in the Hat story with related spelling and phonics games and the other is a Sesame St. app with counting and other games. I’d like to find something that will also encourage keyboard skills since she will be using a desktop computer at school in one class. The teacher of that class mentioned that new students are often confused when the screen doesn’t respond like a touch screen and they’ve never seen a keyboard. I let GD type on my computer, but she’s really only learned how use the space bar, back space, caps lock and shift keys.

It seems as if our kids grew up in the heyday of edutainment software. I recall Zoombinis, the Dr. Brain series, Math Blaster, various Carmen Sandiego games, Oregon Trail, Amazon Trail, etc. Their first exposure to the computer, around age three and four, was on a Disney program that promoted reading skills. It was followed by the 8-bit version of Wheel of Fortune. ; )

When I’ve tried searching, most of what I’ve found have been apps that require a subscription or have in-app ads. Results with actual software turn out to be old games that won’t run on anything after Window 98 or XP.

My DDs had keyboarding classes in their Catholic elementary school a while back (they are now 28 and 30), and DH also had a typing tutorial that would drop letters on the screen and you typed them – that is how he gained speed on keyboard. DDs would also test their skills with this typing tutorial.

Gkids are 4K and K, and when I visit in a few weeks, I will ask DD about computer and keyboarding skills at their school – when their school starts that. I imagine DH can also provide for them the typing tutorial at appropriate time.

GD1 in K uses a desktop computer at school for the Accelerated Reader quizzes.

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Well I did not dodge the stomach bug. I was with the grandkids Monday thru Thursday. The 3 year old got the stomach bug Tuesday night. My DIL came home with it Thursday afternoon. I drove home Thursday night and woke up with it Friday. I talked to my son and the almost 5 year old and the one year old woke up in the middle of the night Thursday night with it. I am glad I got it at home rather than at their house. I spent the day in bed yesterday and feel pretty good (so far) today.

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I hate stomach bugs. I always feel like I want to die right before I throw up. The good thing about them is that they usually only last 24 hours, if even that.

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My son was complaining of a sore throat last weekend, but said it would come and go. The 1 year old had a snotty nose, which isn’t unusual, so son figured he just had was GS had. after a few days son decided to go to CVS for a strep test; yep, he had strep! He is assuming the rest of the house is fine, as GD hasn’t complained of a sore throat, and GS is acting normal.

This is my kid that never was sick as a child and I don’t think he ever had strep. I am guessing one of the kids is a carrier, but not positive. I look forward to getting out of the preschool age and all the germs they bring home to everyone they touch!

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When my kids were little, I never got sick. I started substitute teaching when they were older, and darned if I didn’t get strep while subbing in a middle school.

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My kids attended public elementary school and they had keyboarding classes as early as kindergarten. I think it’s pretty standard now.

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Ours got sick all the time until they started elementary school. By that time, their immune systems became bomb-proof. :laughing: They did pass an occasional bug to us, but it was not terrible. Our parents lived too far to visit the grands often, so they mostly avoided the bugs. I swear swimming lessons and YMCA teams helped, too. That chlorine in the air we breathed while waiting for the kid to come out of the pool killed any bugger that could have caused problems!

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There were a couple of preschool years where everyone masked and the staff took temperatures every day before the kids were allowed to come in. And then…

GS and GD seem to get a lot of what is going around. I think GS missed about twenty days of Kindergarten :open_mouth: with colds/coughs/temps. First grade has been much better, thankfully! I’m thinking he has only missed a handful of days. GD has had the same, but is testing positive for strep way too often. The pediatrician referred her to the ENT and they decided to take a wait and see approach. After three (maybe four) more rounds of strep and antibiotics, GD will have a tonsillectomy next month.

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Both my kids had their tonsils out – one at 4 1/2 and one at 3 1/2. There was no question that they needed it.

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D2 had her tonsils out after 6 bouts of strep in 6 months. She was just over 3 years old. It was the best thing ever for her. She was so much healthier afterwards and she also had a much better appetite.

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Wow on the repeated Strep infections.

I do remember DDs (who are now 28 and 30) where one child and both DH and I had strep – the other child was always in such close contact with other DD that Pediatrician also did a 24 hour test in addition to the rapid Strep test. But that DD did not contract Strep. I don’t remember repeated strep with them, and also not with grandkids. I will have to ask DD1 if any of the children has had Strep yet - not that I recall though.

When in college, DH had a very bad throat infection - I don’t recall if it was Strep, but he had to swish Novocaine type of mixture in order to be able to swallow any food. MD said if he had another throat infection, his tonsils would need to come out. Never had an issue again.

Our nephew was not clearing up from Strep, and I had to tell SIL that he was repeatedly re-infecting himself with toothbrush (they didn’t tell her about replacing toothbrush). Something she was not told, and something she did not think of.

I had strep on and off for my of the year I was in 4th grade. As a result of that, the English teacher who didn’t like me flunked me out of her class so I was put into a “lower” class, where the teacher actually cared and felt badly about how I was treated. She was a much better teacher and I learned a lot more in her class than the “gifted class” I had been demoted from.

I had HUGE tonsils, that all my docs said contributed to the problem. Since I’ve been taking allergy meds and nasal sprays, my tonsils have shrunken and no more strep infections.

My son had strep more times than I could count. I remember his kindergarten year where he had almost constant strep from Thanksgiving until March. The pediatrician claimed that it wasn’t multiple strep infections but rather one original infection that never really went away. She didn’t feel that he needed to have his tonsils out. 30+ years later I regret that I didn’t push harder for a tonsillectomy. He continued to have strep regularly throughout school and still gets it at least once a year. His tonsils are gigantic even when they’re not infected.

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Did an overnight with two DGD’s so parents could go to a wedding and stay over. We had such a good time. My heart is so full with these grandkids. I am so thankful.

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