Thoughts on Childcare

BY PALMA MOYER, RN

I remember the time that I was the Director of Nurses in a local nursing home. My youngest child was only 5 yrs old. Days when I could not find a babysitter, I would take him to work with me. Depending on the day, I would hide him in the linen closet with toys. But he also got to know some of the residents. They would play games with him in the day room.

One day my son came to me and said something is wrong with John, he is not himself. Sure enough, John was sick with pneumonia and was sent to the hospital. The residents enjoyed having a child to play with and shared their memories with him. It was a pleasant time for all. My son received a lot of attention and the staff and residents were happy to have a child's perspective on life. This led to having other staff members bring their children to work, too. It was a win-win situation. The staff could work and be with their children.

Today, the parents have to hurry to drop their children off at childcare and worry about being late to pick up their children at the end of the day, besides paying a large amount of money for child care. My way seemed more beneficial to all concerned.

~As Always, Palma Moyer

Palma is a 1957 graDuate of temPle university hosPital school of nursing she shares her exPeriences anD PersPectives on nursing she can be reacheD at DonthelPmemoyer@aol com

Happy Anniversary

Today, as I write this, is my parent’s 80th wedding anniversary. They married in 1943…Leo was just turned 22, Judy 19.

The man that she saw the first time and immediately thought, “That’s the man I’m going to marry.”, was now her husband…or hubby as she called him.

They are both gone now, but reached a 59year milestone before dad passed.

I’m not sure why, but we don’t hear much about longevity in marriage like that anymore.

Perhaps because folks are living longer, or the stigma of getting divorced has evaporated. Most likely the decline of organized religions has contributed, as well as the arrival of the immediate gratification generation. And does the growth of women in the workplace factor in, as more men and women work together closely, and friendships develop?

Shelli and I both come from families with loving parents married many years. Now in our sixties and together ten years, we were not that lucky in our marriages, although luck most likely has little to do with it.

I’m sure many studies have been done to determine the causes, but I can speak only of what I have encountered or seen.

Sadly, only 50% of first marriages are successful, which drops to just 33% for second marriages, and 25% for the third attempt.

As I look at our siblings, all but one ended marriage in divorce, and most of them resulted in a stable second…or third…partnership.

We have learnings from these unions and dissolutions, and when our son Mike was recently wed, Shelli and I came up with our ten credos for a long, successful, loving marriage.

If our ten happy years are any predictor, we gave them good advice.

John schaninger is a lifelong resiDent of Pennsylvania anD has liveD in uPPer black eDDy for over 13 years reach him at m12string@aol com

History usually was successful in its endeavors when it meant meeting the needs of the people. Starting with the Magna Carta in England, Our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and brilliant form of government including the important “Bill of Rights.” Yes, this was challenged in the mid 1800’s but out of those challenging times we received the “Emancipation Proclamation.” It is so important that everyone who resides in this great nation have reference to these documents and that they are never eliminated from our school studies.

Getting back to my opening paragraph, one of these teachers was Mr. Wisneski, our famous high school football coach. Except for a few classes after major games when he fell to temptations of showing game films (especially if your class had football player}; Mr. Wisneski was able to instill in a simple way thoughts that still flash back to what he mentioned. The number one item he mentioned, in a time when we would get under desks during A-bomb drills, was that Russia certainly is a threat, but our biggest silent threat is China. A statement he made really sticks in my then country bumpkin mind. He said that if you stood at a point on the earth receiving nourishment and your needs, during your whole lifetime, taking into account births, deaths, etc. of the Chinese population, THE LINE of PEOPLE would Never END! He mentioned this in 1959! He called China, a sleeping giant. He also stressed that it was important to study history. The greatest civilizations that lasted the longest and made the greatest strides through civilizations growths were those who documented their losses and gains were the most successful and survived the longest. The period after the Second World War was still very brief and many of our teachers were actively engaged in that war. Mr. Wisneski stressed that one of the first things Adolf Hitler initiated was “The burning of the books.” (Destroy history.) He never expounded on this but gave the idea that in order to achieve his future goals he had to destroy the writings of the past. Mr. Wisneski was more than a great football coach; he was also an inspiration for his students who really listened to him.

I remember little from my grade school history lessons. Of course they taught about the Pre-Revolution history, The Revolutionary War period, The Civil War, and the relationship of history and what then was called Geography. Seventh Grade had us first introduced to ancient history, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the warriors from the plains of China. My first awakening to this need to study more was brought on by Mr. Strunk. His expertise for the Civil War period and how he presented to series of events leading up to the war, the involvement of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvanians in the war, and the reconstruction era sparked an interest in me that has never ended.

My wife has graciously shared walking through cornfields at Antietam, shared the scenes of the siege of Vicksburg, walked the steps of the home where Lee surrendered at Appomattax Court House, and of course experienced the two battles of Bull Run and the July heat of Gettysburg and small cavalry battles on the outskirts of that town on private land being preserved. She followed the trail of “The Peninsular Campaign” from Norfolk, past Williamsburg, though Seven Pines, and almost to Richmond. Speaking of Richmond, we walked through the home of Jefferson Davis. We also visited his exile home outside of Mobile, Alabama. We accompanied my sister Shirley and her husband Don to Salem Church where a relative of ours was killed in a skirmish during the battle of Chancellorsville. We found the place at Fredericksburg where the unknowns of that skirmish were interred one year late after the battle of the Wilderness. Mr. Strunk certainly lit a fire in me on the civil war. I am known as the persona of John Fries (pronounced freeze) of our local history. These are just a few of examples of the wonderful exploration that can be had in day trips or one or two day overnight motor trips that can be had in this wonderful world of history.

In our society today there is a tendency to want to eliminate history or modify the true details of historical events. We must not let this happen. Ben Souder left his family farm on Axe Handle Road to be part of a cause to not only keep the Union intact but to assure freedom “For All” and gave his all. One year later his bones were buried in an Unknown grave at Frederickburg and slightly over 100 years later a rose was placed in his memory on his grave by his progeny because history was preserved. Let us continue to strive to preserve what those who came before us have done. It is a common saying by us history buffs that this preservation of history not only lets us know of their physical efforts; but it is a deterrent for us “Not to repeat the same errors” that caused such strife. History is truly a stepping stone in paving a way, through study, for a better tomorrow!

Dick helm is a long time quakertown area resiDent anD regular contributor here at ubfP. reach him at rbh9@verizon net

The answers to the puzzles on this page are found elsewhere in this issue.

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