(ThyBlackMan.com) I returned home after another long day anticipating a good meal and then a few hours of R & R in front of the TV. but when I opened the door, evidence to the contrary was obvious: a pink coat, a small, glittery shoe, and then a shriek of delight as my granddaughter sped to greet me. Suddenly I was rejuvenated.

After a lively dinner, we set off on one of our adventures. we watched ants, talked to cats, played in the park and watched the sunset spray the Colorado mountains orange and rose. as we walked back toward the house, she got  quiet, and I got philosophical. I thought, “what better way to spend the end of this day—or any day?” our lives as grandfathers can be noble, purposeful and even, I would say, vital.

TAKE PRIDE IN BEING A GRANDFATHER

Grandfathers bring some unique characteristics that children need. first, we can provide strength and stability at a time when our children are busy making adjustments and figuring out their new roles, and a time when our wives may be experiencing the hormonal chaos that often comes with that stage of life.

We are also models of a healthy, grown-up male (a child doesn’t always think of his or her father as male—he’s “Daddy“). Little boys need to see what a responsible, loving male acts like, and little girls need to learn that not all males are rowdy and rambunctious, and that they can relate with the opposite sex.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR PERSPECTIVE 

Compared to fathers, our personalities and egos are much less closely wrapped up in the child’s performance. while fathers are in the bleachers fighting the temptation to scream at the ump or chide the coach, we can say, “Hey, it’s just a ball game. I’m just glad you enjoy playing and that I got to see you play.” We’ve seen how kids overcome setbacks, and we’re less likely to blow things out of proportion. We’re free to express love unconditionally; grandchildren can fail and still save face.

FOSTER – DON’T FRUSTRATE – YOUNG PARENTS

One of our most challenging jobs is to let our children be their style of parent. we have to step back and trust that the knowledge or discernment that we modeled will be there, buried somewhere in their subconscious, when they need it. trying to “raise” them again as parents will only cause friction and resentment.

Showing them respect as parents will earn us opportunities to make suggestions when they realize they need them, but unless there is some developmental problem that they’re overlooking, it’s best to let young parents learn on their own. we weren’t A+ parents either, so if our kids are C to B+ parents and they’re not dysfunctional, we need to take a back seat and become cheerleaders, even if we don’t always agree with them.

MAINTAIN A SENSE OF FAMILY

I want my grandkids to know their aunts and uncles, to see that strong marriages run in the family, and to watch generations relating to each other. some grandfathers go too far and place guilt trips: “If you want to be part of this family, you get those kids here by Christmas Eve.” others, in an effort to avoid making demands, communicate apathy: “well, stop by when you can.”

There is a happy medium. let them know their presence is important and still be flexible: “We’d like to have everyone together during Christmas break. We’ll make the plans and cook the turkey, but let’s make sure and get together. When can you make it?” show the entire clan-including grandchildren-that in your family, togetherness is important.

SPEND INDIVIDUAL TIME WITH EACH GRANDCHILD

Just like with fathering, in-depth relationships are built during time alone with each child. Sometimes we have to trust that our values will be transmitted through the generations, but we also have opportunities to do it directly. When I’m alone with one of my granddaughters, that’s when she’s most “herself.” There’s no competition with her sister, and no consequences to worry about from her parents. that allows her to listen better and ask more thoughtful questions. When it’s just the two of us, she’s much more open to learn.

And, of course, individual time with grandchildren is rewarding in itself. A fool-proof method for resurrecting new hope in a discouraged, pessimistic heart is to allot special time to play with children. Little creatures who have their eyes fixed on tomorrow can make a gnarled veteran of life’s wars forget the pain of past failures and believe in the future again.

Written By Leland Griffin Share More Articles:

LinkedIn went public today in what many expect could lead to another wave of tech IPOs. just now the stock (NYSE: LNKD) for the social networking site for professionals is trading at about $104, representing a 100% pop (buy-in was $45) and a valuation of $11 billion. are we partying like it’s 1999 yet? Probably not. But this is obviously the biggest liquidity event we’ve seen here in Silicon Valley in quite some time.

The busts are painfully memorable – most notably in 2001 when the sky and all the sock puppets along with it fell into a heaping pile of crap 2.0. Back then Red Herring magazine used to publish their ratings on various IPOs. A thermometer would gauge the “hotness” factor. I remember reading the massive magazine (tech ad spending was through the roof) on flights to customer meetings and seeing: red, red, red, dark orange, red, red, red. there was no blue. it was 1999 and everything here in the valley was damn hot.

“Social Gold Rush”

Will our penchant for socializing on the web now pave the way for companies who apply Facebook-like models for the enterprise?

With the early success of the LinkedIn IPO, the easy answer is yes. However, remember that Facebook and Twitter sit pretty much alone atop the pyramid of riches for social networking. there are also-rans, but likely investor’s appetites for more than a few winners (at least on the public exchanges) is questionable.

Costco-size Line for IPOs

I think the more interesting trend we can perhaps glean from today’s news is that the tech IPO is back, but with a few caveats. In 1999 you just needed a hot idea. an idea with potential. Bru-ha-ha helped, as did moxie. things like business models (what do you mean shipping hundreds of pounds of dog food across the country or couriering a .75 chocolate bar 3 miles to a single buyer aren’t sustainable?!), paying customers and experienced management teams were all either non or secondary considerations. Today, that’s changed. When the markets blew up in 2001, and then the banks blew up later that same decade we realized all gold does not shine the same.

Nearly 2 billion people searched LinkedIn last year. Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are subscribers, and its hiring solutions are used by 73 of the Fortune 100 companies. this is what an IPO looks like in 2011, not 2001. These are solid, verifiable, quantifiable operating metrics. Does it eliminiate risk or remove doubts over a valuation that is very rich? No on both counts. LinkedIn’s only been around for 9 years, and revenues were about $243 million (with 70% coming from subscription) in 2010.

No doubt companies such as Zynga, Groupon, Facebook, and Twitter are watching the LinkedIn story very closely.

My guess: all four of them (and others) will be spotted ringing out at the IPO register within the next 24 months.

Photo credit: Nan Palmero, Flickr.

Fewer older cancer patients are given treatment with the decline starting at the age of 50 (Posed by models)

Elderly people are being denied cancer surgery because NHS doctors are reluctant to operate on them, according to a study.

It found the number of people treated for breast cancer falls by a third over the age of 60.

Meanwhile only two per cent of patients over the age of 80 have surgery for six of the top 13 cancers.

Researchers said workers in the NHS often believed performing surgery on elderly patients was inappropriate and said this attitude was one of the key reasons for the decline in operations.

The biggest drop in operations is seen in the over-7ps but the study found a decline across all forms of cancer treatment is evident from the age of 50.

Dr Mick Peake, lead clinician at the National Cancer Intelligence Network which carried out the study said: ‘While this isn’t intrinsically surprising, the drop in some cancers begins in age groups as young as the 50s. this is a cause for concern.

‘And, crucially, it raises questions about the underlying reasons for these variations and, in turn, what can be done to reduce them.

‘Inevitably, there may be reasons for variations by age and geography that are not directly related to the quality of care in our hospitals.

‘Such reasons may include the stage of the disease at diagnosis, late presentation by patients with symptoms, patients – especially older ones – choosing not to have surgery, different numbers of patients with other illnesses which mean surgery would be ill-advised.

‘But because complete data on these factors is not available, the report can’t attribute any of the variation to them, highlighting the importance of NCIN’s ongoing work in improving the information collected about cancer patients.

‘Despite all these caveats, the new facts and figures suggest that some parts of the country may have different rates compared to other regions.

‘This report provides the basis for further analyses to try and understand what the underlying causes of these differences are.

Dr Mick Peake: ‘While this isn?t intrinsically surprising, the drop in some cancers begins in age groups as young as the 50s. this is a cause for concern.’

‘This is a good basis for cancer networks to examine why they might have lower surgery rates than their neighbours. so publishing this type of analysis could actually help to make things better.’

The study found that ‘There was evidence of small but significant decreases in the proportion of patients receiving a major resection (organ or tumour removal) in the more deprived socio-economic groups and also of variation in surgical rates between cancer networks.’

Less than 16 per cent of people with cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, bladder, prostate, lung, pancreas and liver had a record of a major resection. with liver cancer only six per cent had surgery before a drop to two per cent for all of these cancers for the over 80s.

Over the age of 40 and until someone reaches 80 the drop in the number of people receiving surgery for cancer of the ovaries was 56 per cent, kidney 49 per cent and cervical 48 per cent.

The difference between the number of patients from poor areas being treated compared to the more affluent was surprisingly narrow with the largest difference being cervical cancer – 10 per cent. however this did not take into account treatment in the private sector.

Courtesy of etniesThe etnies x Autism Speaks collection is available now through the etnies Web store.

etnies Footwear has teamed up with Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, to create a line of co-branded kid’s footwear. Ten percent of proceeds of sales of the co-branded shoes, with a minimum of $10,000 per year, will be donated to Autism Speaks to help raise awareness and support Autism Speaks in their continued efforts to fund autism research, as well as develop resources and treatments.

etnies BMX pro Brian Kachinsky has rallied behind the cause. “Individual sports like BMX, can have a positive effect on children with autism,” says Kachinsky. “When etnies made me aware of the Autism Speaks organization, I jumped at the chance to be a part of the effort,” he adds.

Currently, etnies is offering two co-branded models, the Fader and RVM, which are available in children’s sizes and sold in the etnies Web store. according to Kachinsky, an X Games Bronze Medalist who has been a part of the etnies BMX pro team for the past several years, etnies plans to expand their efforts. “The collection will expand to include adult footwear and apparel in coming seasons,” says Kachinsky. “Also, in April, etnies and Autism Speaks are planning to host a clinic for kids diagnosed with autism to come and learn how to ride BMX and how to skateboard. It’s going to be rad.”

Autism, a developmental disorder that appears in the first three years of life, affects the brain’s normal development of social and communication skills. Over the past two decades, autism prevalence as risen by up to 600 percent. Today, one in every 110 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. And for Kachinsky, the cause hits close to home. “I have friends who have made a career working with autistic children and I admire their dedication in working with those living with autism,” he says. “I also think it’s part of my role as pro to utilize that status and influence for positive efforts like Autism Speaks.”

Cody Yorketnies BMX pro Brian Kachinsky has rallied behind the etnies x Autism Speaks cause.

Autism remains a challenging condition for children and their families, but the outlook today has improved. Today, with the right therapy, many of the symptoms of autism can be mitigated, though most people will have some symptoms throughout their lives. Kachinsky believes that the joint effort between etnies and Autism Speaks will help raise awareness of the disorder. “As a pro BMX rider, I believe that being a good role model is crucial. Kids are paying close attention to what we do. And if we take their attention and expose them to different causes and amazing organizations like Autism Speaks, we can educate them and hopefully encourage them to support the causes that are important to them personally.”

Additional etnies athletes supporting the Autism Speaks cause include skateboarders Jose Rojo and Ryan Sheckler, BMXer Aaron Ross, FMX pro Kyle Loza, and etnies surfers Kai Otton and Sally Fitzgibbons.

Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright, grandparents of a child with autism. Since then, Autism Speaks has grown into the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

To learn more, visit etnies.com.