Cover Stories
 Rhett and Carol Mouchet chose to be parents again at an older age, and they’re loving itby Elizabeth Garcia Coastal Family Contributor Rhett Mouchet and his wife, Carol, were enjoying the freedom of being parents of almost-grown sons. Secure and successful in their careers, Rhett and Carol were surrounded by friends who, like them, had accomplished a great deal professionally and were close enough to retirement to taste the leisure, the freedom, the fun. Contrary to the norm, Rhett and Carol decided to adopt a little girl from China. And this time around, they’ve found a very different approach to parenting and life. Gathering and providing all the required paperwork to the international adoption agency was a monumental challenge and they were racing against the clock because Rhett was nearing China’s then cut-off age of 55 for adoptive parents. But Rhett saw it clearly, and felt it unmistakably. They were supposed to adopt a child. They weighed all the concerns such as financial security, health, taking care of a child for 18 years or so, fairness to the child and the fact that there would be no young, leisurely retirement. After considering the many various factors, they decided they wanted to try. “When Rhett first suggested it, I was wondering how I would manage raising her,” Carol said. “I had no idea how all of this was going to work out because the whole idea of adopting a child from another country was so overwhelming. This was a step in faith for me to trust God completely, and I became 100 percent committed.” Rhett has a tendency to want to handle things on his own. But once you’ve worked through the mountains of paperwork (it took over their dining room table for months) and followed all the procedures, you’re left maddeningly helpless. You wait. You hope. Sometimes you despair of not getting what you want. “The one lesson I’ve had a pretty hard time with in life is thinking I can fix it on my own – sometimes you need a certain amount of just absolute faith,” Rhett said. “I had done some things in life against all odds, achieved a great deal. I still have a hard time putting it into practical application – this is beyond our control, to put your faith in God.” Through all the drama of trying to adopt, the process brought Rhett and Carol closer together. Rhett is Broker-in-Charge of Melaver Mouchet, a commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in sustainable commercial brokerage. Carol is a successful commercial real estate appraiser with Johnnie Ganem Appraisal Company. The boys – Tyler, now 20, and Chase, now 22 – settled into the idea that a little sister might be coming into the family. “A good many of our friends thought we were absolutely crazy,” Rhett said. “Most of them were polite about it. Some said, what’s lacking in your life that you’re doing this? Some thought of it as a terrific philanthropic thing. (But) it went far deeper than that.” Suddenly, wonderfully, everything came together in November 2006. A little girl, three and a half years old, was available for adoption. Now a member of the Mouchet family and six years old, Caroline is a happy, beautiful child attending Hesse Elementary. It’s been like taking all of life lessons in three short years, Rhett said. “Years ago, I wouldn’t be going to a tea party at school. I loved it! I was thinking, I’ve really changed,” he said.  “When the boys were smaller, I was so consumed with business and going to the functions I needed to go to,” Rhett said softly. “I’m really recognizing some of the foolishness of that. … I think it’s more of a lesson for me. For a long time I was all about achievement. It makes all that seem not important.”“Having a little girl is more fun than I ever imagined,” Carol said. “(And) seeing the world through the eyes of a child who had nothing and who is so full of wonder is a new and exciting experience every day. And yes, some people look at us very strangely trying to compute what in the world we are doing, but they have no idea how much love Caroline gives us every day.” They don’t feel like they’re missing out when friends their age are going out and going on adventures, child-free. “I don’t miss it at all,” Rhett said. “We either take her with us or have a great evening at home.” “The support group that surrounds you in a thing like this is so important,” whether it’s the agonizing process of adoption or the childrearing years, Rhett said. “You have friends, and then you have real friends.” Although the boys didn’t take much interest in the adoption process at first, now that Caroline is here, she’s become an important part of their lives. Rhett thinks having Caroline in the family made the boys more interested in caring about and reaching out to the community. He and Carol are proud of how the boys have embraced Caroline into the family, and proud of the young men they’ve become. “It comes down to simple things,” Rhett said. Read 0 Comments... >> |
 Having fun with your baby doesn’t require a trip to the toy store, fancy baby equipment or a special membership to a baby gym.Greg Bishop, author and founder of Boot Camp for New Dads, a nonprofit orientation program for fathers-to-be, offers these 12 budget-friendly activities to do with baby. 1. Take a tour of your own house with baby in a front carrier, letting him/her grab things within reach. 2. Sing songs together. It doesn’t matter if it’s a lullaby or rock ‘n’ roll as long as it’s repetitive and sung with enthusiasm. 3. Give him/her "airplane" rides through the house or yard. 4. Create some tall buildings with blocks then let him/her knock them down. 5. Put baby in a carrier and go on short hiking adventures. 6. Build an indoor obstacle course with pillows and sheets for tunnels that baby will enjoy crawling through. 7. Start a kitchen band with pots and pans and spoons and really make some noise. 8. Play “hide and seek” with toys to teach him/her how to find his/her hidden treasures. 9. Encourage your little artist with crayons or non-toxic finger paint. Spread newspaper on the kitchen floor and cover with drawing paper. 10. Bring the bath and beach toys into the tub along with a colander and let baby have a blast sinking ships and making “rain.” 11. Make funny faces together while looking in a mirror. Use shaving cream to give baby a mirror beard and moustache. 12. Make junior an instant sports fan. Watch your favorite team together on TV and practice doing the wave. According to Bishop, “Research has shown that babies benefit from time spent with dad, doing what comes naturally to dads, such as roughhousing, playing and simply showing him/her the world. Best of all, these activities don’t cost a thing.” Read 0 Comments... >>  Automobiles often become a special place for parents to bond with their children, whether it's tinkering under the hood, or seated behind the wheel for a test drive. With Father's Day approaching, WyoTech, one of the premier automotive training institutions in the country, asked its students for the best advice their fathers gave them about automotive care. Students shared their stories and the wisdom of their fathers. While some of this fatherly advice is simply about mechanics, much of it extends well beyond automotives to lessons for life. Many fathers stressed the overall importance of learning. Reymundo Delago, an automotive technology student at the Fremont, Calif., campus, says that his father also encouraged him to learn as much as possible. "My father told me: You cannot possibly learn everything there is to know about cars, so every day becomes an opportunity to learn more," says Delago. His classmate, Jose Gonzales, says that his father's advice was to “focus on education and try to learn as much about cars as possible.” Jimmy Avalos, an automotive student at the Long Beach, Calif., campus, was encouraged to “go to school and make something of myself.” Avalos adds that he has followed his father's advice by enrolling at WyoTech, and is now planning for a future in automotive repair. Caroline Gishnock, a refinishing student at the Blairsville, Penn., campus, says her father told her to “never give up. You can fix anything!” Of course, some jobs may require more elbow grease than others, but Curtis Treadaway, an automotive technology student in Fremont, says that the similar advice from his father and his father's optimistic attitude have given him a good perspective on some of life's troubles. Treat your car – and others – well was the advice that Covey Durham received. He is an automotive technology student in Fremont. His father's rule applies off the road as well – if you want to be treated with respect, it has to start with you. The best advice Nick Jensen's father gave him was simple: “Your future is in your hands.” Jensen, a Fremont automotive technology student, says his father's advice made him realize his own potential and encouraged him to pursue further education. “My dad always said that my future is in my own hands, but I didn't realize what that meant until I grew up. Now that I have begun my studies at WyoTech, I really do feel like I am in charge of my own future,” says Jensen. Andy Kunselman, director of student services at the school's Blairsville, Penn., location, says that his father never said much, but that he learned by having a role model and a mentor. “Because my dad always had a joke to tell, I learned to have fun, enjoy life and do my best to get a laugh. I also learned how to be reliable and provide for my family. I believe I learned how to be there for friends in need, and help others in general, by watching my dad.” Fathers have also passed on a love for cars. “Two days before my father passed away he was still working on his '57 Chevy station wagon. He taught me all I know about cars, and now it's my turn to teach my son,” says Charles Cuevas, an automotive student in Long Beach. Walter Davis, an automotive technology student in Fremont, shares Cuevas' passion for cars and adds that his father's best advice to him was simply to do what he loves. This inspired him to combine his passion for cars with a technical training from WyoTech, turning his love of cars into a full-time career as an automotive technician. – Source: ARAcontent Read 0 Comments... >>  A study by Indiana University and Ohio State researchers found that children gain more weight over the summer than during the school year. A child's summer camp experience can provide the structure and activity needed to keep kids healthy year-round.Ohio State University sociology professor and lead author of the study Paul von Hippel said, “Our general finding — that kids do better in a structured environment with scheduled exercise and limited opportunities to eat — is consistent with the idea that camp can help restrain summer weight gain.” American Camp Association President Ann Sheets agrees, stating that it is more important than ever for our youth to be physically active when they are not in school. “The camp environment is supportive of healthy lifestyles,” Sheets said. “Camp includes lots of physical activity, good nutritional choices and a set sleep schedule, all of which play a role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventing childhood obesity.” For the study, researchers studied the growth rates of the body-mass indexes of 5,380 kindergartners and first-graders. The university sociologists discovered that the children's BMIs increased on average more than twice as much during summer break compared with the school year. Once kids were back in school, however, the monthly growth rate of their BMIs fell, the researchers found. According to research conducted by ACA, 63 percent of children who learn new activities at camp tend to continue engaging in these activities after they return home. “These findings suggest that camp could actually help children become more active, and therefore healthier,” Sheets said. Camps, because they are rooted in experiential learning, provide opportunities for children to exercise and stay physically fit that are not available in school — and are certainly not available watching TV or playing video games, according to Sheets. Brian Powell, a coauthor of the study and sociology professor at Indiana University, said, “Our study indicates that children's BMI gain is much greater during the summer than during the school year, so if we are concerned about children's health, we must find ways to enable children to participate in the types of activities in the summer that promote good health.” Read 0 Comments... >>  Thousands of children, 4 years old and younger, are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for injuries sustained at child care/school settings every year. In a recent national study, CPSC staff visited a number of childcare settings and found that two-thirds of them had one or more potentially serious hazards. Use the safety tips in this checklist to help keep your young children safe in day care.CHILD CARE SAFETY CHECKLIST FOR PARENTS AND CHILD CARE PROVIDERS CRIBS: Make sure cribs meet current national safety standards and are in good condition. Look for a certification safety seal. Older cribs may not meet current standards. Crib slats should be no more than 2-3/8 inches apart, and mattresses should fit snugly. This can prevent strangulation and suffocation associated with older cribs and mattresses that are too small. SOFT BEDDING: Be sure that no pillows, soft bedding or comforters are used when you put babies to sleep. Babies should be put to sleep on their backs in a crib with a firm, flat mattress. This can help reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation related to soft bedding. PLAYGROUND SURFACING: Look for safe surfacing on outdoor playgrounds – at least 12 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand or pea gravel, or mats made of safety-tested rubber or rubber-like materials. This helps protect against injuries from falls, especially head injuries. PLAYGROUND MAINTENANCE: Check playground surfacing and equipment regularly to make sure they are maintained in good condition. This can help prevent injuries, especially from falls. SAFETY GATES: Be sure that safety gates are used to keep children away from potentially dangerous areas, especially stairs. Safety gates can protect against many hazards, especially falls. WINDOW BLIND AND CURTAIN CORDS: Be sure miniblinds and venetian blinds do not have looped cords. Check that vertical blinds, continuous looped blinds and drapery cords have tension or tie-down devices to hold the cords tight. Check that inner cord stops have been installed. See www.windowcoverings.org for the latest blind cord safety information. These safety devices can prevent strangulation in the loops of window blind and curtain cords. CLOTHING DRAWSTRINGS: Be sure there are no drawstrings around the hood and neck of children's outerwear clothing. Other types of clothing fasteners, like snaps, zippers, or hook and loop fasteners (such as Velcro), should be used. Drawstrings can catch on playground and other equipment and can strangle young children. RECALLED PRODUCTS: Check that no recalled products are being used and that a current list of recalled children's products is readily visible. Recalled products pose a threat of injury or death. Displaying a list of recalled products will remind caretakers and parents to remove or repair potentially dangerous children's toys and products. Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission Read 0 Comments... >> |
