Grandparenting 101

Early this week, someone said they hadn't heard much about my grandchildren in a while.  Then just yesterday a friend told me I should write a book about grandparenting.  I don't think I'm there yet.

Years ago I did start a book about parenting but it's stored somewhere in my laptop, untouched for a long, long time.  It was to be called Every Mistake in the Book, because...well...I made every mistake in the book.  But I learned from those mistakes so I hope I become a better grandparent than I was parent.

We did have our 6th Annual Camp Blackberry this summer.  We get them for a week and have all sorts of planned activities, trips, and meals.

This year all six grandchildren attended and we had a blast, visiting the Knoxville Zoo, The Lost Sea, and the Chattanooga Aquarium.  I think it wasn't until the third day this year that I had my first nervous breakdown.

It was a great week and those same grandkids are already making plans for next year.  Oh, the name?  We raise blackberries and our name is Black so it just seemed logical.  Sam Beall told me it was OK.

So let me bring you up to date a bit on those grandkids.

GK1 (grandkid #1, the oldest) is doing great, thank you for asking.  Smart, gorgeous, and athletic, she's on the Cross Country team at her school and loving it.

GK2 is definitely the artist in the family.  With a smile that can light up a room, she loves basketball and volleyball.   (So maybe this is a little about sports.)

GK3 is handsome and witty and hugely inquisitive.  He's searching for "his" sport but I have no doubt that he'll find it one day, since his parents are giving him lots of options. I may get him a tennis racket.

GK4 is a firecracker and about the cutest thing you'll ever see.  I predict that he will be an outside linebacker and a wrestler.

GK5 is into everything.  One of my favorite photos is of her leaving ballet with her in an oh-so-perfect ballerina bun with her karate gi on, ready for practice. 

GK6 is the live wire, running around trying everything and taking great joy in movement.  He's into karate too (which has been great for him) but he's going to be a chunk so it seems likely he'll follow his dad into football.

So, what does it take these days to produce smart, athletic, well-rounded kids?

Opportunities.  Kids need opportunities to explore and engage in different things, especially sports.  Travel teams, private coaches, specializing at an early age?  Bad ideas.  They need to move and do lots of different things.

Kids need experiences.  They need to get to know people that aren't like them.  They need to see places well beyond their backyard.

They need to be exposed to art and music and literature.  Only available to the rich?  Oh heck no.  Our schools do a great job and we have an awesome library.

Live life with them.  Do things with them.  Play, hike, swim, bike.  Fly a kite.  Together.

Sports Nutrition 201

Jenna Waters is a Functional Nutritionist with the UT Internal Medicine Group.  She also maintains a private practice in sports nutrition.  Among her clients are the Nashville Predators and other professional teams and athletes.  She had previously served the athletic department at UT.

I sat down with Jenna at football practice at MHS this week.  Her husband is Assistant Football Coach and Head Strength Coach there.   We had talked many times before so I knew that Jenna was a vast reservoir of information about sports nutrition.

And believe me, there is a whole lot of misinformation about sports nutrition out there.  So I had a few questions for Jenna.

What's the biggest mistake in sports nutrition?  "Feeling like they only have to think about nutrition on game day.  It's an every day thing.  And believing the myth that more protein is better.  Oh, and not thinking about where their food is coming from."

We don't stop to think about additives and how our food was grown (does that pesticide really just wash off?).   Or what the long term impact might be from genetically modified food.

Sports drink or water?  "Sports drinks across the board are too sugar laden.  Check the ingredients.  Is it made with High Fructose Corn Syrup (mostly bad) or cane sugar (mostly good)?  Sports drinks are worthy during competition but not so good throughout the week.  We do need the electrolytes all week though so water is not completely adequate either."

What are the biggest differences between the nutritional demands of the athlete versus everyone else?  "The athlete that's really intentional about their nutrition will be focusing what they're eating, where it comes from, and how much.  Food for the athlete is fuel and the quality of that fuel can determine their performance."

Do different sports have different nutritional needs?  "Absolutely.  Baseline nutrition is very similar but from a competition perspective, it can be very different.  For example, the endurance athlete will prepare differently and often has to eat along the way."

What's the perfect pregame meal?  "For the average young athlete lean protein and carbs that come from a vegetable source.  A good sample meal might be grilled chicken, roasted veggies, and a side salad."

What about timing of that meal?  When should the pregame meal be consumed?  "Three to four hours before game time is ideal.  Additional snacks may be necessary closer to time and then during halftime but that depends on the athlete and the sport."

What is the latest trend in sports nutrition?  "The ketogenic diet."

(FYI, the ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high fat diet.  It relies on a shift in the body's metabolism in which the body shifts away from carbs and toward fats.)

"The idea of a fat-adapted performance athlete is valid.  It's important to have a sports nutritionist guiding the transition to this type of diet.  Use high quality fat, moderate amounts of protein, and low carbohydrates."

As a personal disclaimer, I've been on a ketogenic diet for about three years now.  I have cured my hypoglycemia and am no longer constantly hungry.  (JB)

Thanks for everything Jenna.

Rough Week

This has been a rough week.  I always try and be positive about things, uplifting even.  But this might be a week I want to forget.

On Monday, we learned of the tragic death of Brittany Johnson.  We knew Brittany well at our office.  She was often injured yet her smile and sunny disposition always came through.  We loved her. 

I remember once when we had to deliver the bad news about her latest injury, half the office cried along with her.  We all cry for her now.

I've got friends in Houston.  Oh, they are all OK but not everyone is.  And in the long run, the cost to lives, property, and the community will be beyond comprehension. 

But in that disaster comes human stories that affirm our belief in the goodness of man.  Unlike events of the previous week, people of all colors, backgrounds, and cultures worked together, helping each other make the best of a bad situation. 

I saw a video of a line of pickup trucks all pulling boats headed for Houston.  I doubt any of those good ol' boys checked ethnicity or gender before offering a helping hand. 

Then on Wednesday, the news of the death of Lucas Jones was released.  Lucas had been courageously battling Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a particularly vicious and deadly form of childhood cancer. 

Last year, the local bicycling community came together and did a benefit ride for Lucas.  The turnout was awesome and the money donated exceeded our wildest expectations.  People that didn't know Lucas came out and gave freely of their time and money.  I know for a fact that the motorcycle community does that sort of thing all the time.

Still, so much has to be done.  Most of the money supporting pediatric cancer research comes from the government and the government is currently considering yet another cut in the money they allot for pediatric cancer research. 

That's a tragedy that approaches the heartbreak of Lucas' life, too soon snuffed out.  Is that what we send people to Washington to do?

Yet, life goes on.  It must.  I know in every part of my heart that we are put here to love others, to serve others.  So we must pick ourselves up, shake ourselves off, and get back on that path.

 At times like this, we need as much normalcy in our lives as we can get.  Our games can be an important part of that.  We need to be able to enjoy our sports, whether as participants or as spectators. 

When Bill Crisp died, I needed to get back on my bike.  For me.  For Bill.  I needed to ride to begin the healing process that started when Bill was injured in a bicycle wreck.

This week, Major League Baseball teams reached out to the Houston Astros, offering them their stadiums for play.  Offering schedule swaps to help them get through the season.

And JJ Watts of the Texans at last word had raised $5 million for relief efforts.  By himself.  And then was seen wading through the streets of Houston carrying children to safety. 

I don't mean to be all dark and dreary.  It is necessary to look to the light, to survive, to live on.   So I'm going to focus on Brittany's smile, on people coming together to help those flood victims, on the hope in the search for a cure for pediatric cancer. 

And knowing that the sun will come up tomorrow, I choose to live on.