Parenting Life's Ultimate Vocation - Being the Best Global Parent by Learning, Growing and Applying

Is it miraculous or maturity that, as a newbie grandparent, the meaning of life seems clearer than ever?

This new and wondrous child, our granddaughter Ellie, has jumped Grandma (Baba) and Grandpa into a new chapter of our lives. After some over-fifty reflection, the notion of making a name for yourself in the corporate or political realm now appears to sit more toward the “all about me” end of the “lifetime achievement” scale. Being a positive contributor to the world is really the ultimate goal of life - moving up the 'Scale of Lifetime Achievement' toward the more selfless “all about you” end of the scale.

This personal aspiration of growing global goodness can be somewhat formidable. So maybe applying a more localized focus for your personal earthly contributions is the best way to positively impact this world. Goodness in bite size pieces! It is the small individual acts of goodness, when aggregated with others people's small positive contributions, that really make this world a better place for everyone.

MEANING OF LIFE #1: Contributing to Life, even through the smallest action, is the meaning of life itself.

Life and my upbringing has taught me one thing: The best way to make this a better world is to focus on your local world, starting with your immediate family and then your community. “Keep your own backyard in order”, my parents used to say.

Think about your earthly role and responsibilities from the aspect of a sibling, a life partner or a friend. It may allow you to identify ways you can make a material difference to those closest to you. After all, this is your circle of influence, where you should responsibly provide the greatest and most profound impact on human behavior. Think of this. If our life's accomplishments and contributions created a positive force on our immediate Circle of Influence, this world would continue to grow and prosper into a much better place for us and future generations.

Scientists and Psychologists have long said that our whole human personality blueprint is determined in the first 10 years of our lives – our formative years. By the age of 10 years 90% of our Life Values are solidly established in each individual. Think of this! In the first 10 years of our lives, the way we think, the way we think of ourselves and others is defined and imprinted as our psychological makeup. Our Value System is now defined - the course of HOW we grow and interface with our earthly surroundings. The only way this personal value course or mindset can be altered would be through some significant emotional event: some impactful event that 'stops us in our tracks' and forces us to consider a alternate path from this point forward.

With such lifelong impact associated with our formative years, it stands to reason that Parenting is a major determination of a child's ultimate adult human behavior. It is our role as parents that garners the single most important impact on life. There can be no greater vocation in life than raising children to become productive, positive and additive to the goodness in this world.

Parenting, at a minimum, requires that a child's need for basics, like Food, Shelter and Safety, be met. It is the higher needs of Affection, building self-esteem and self-actualization that truly define the areas that are affected by parenting or early childhood development.

MEANING OF LIFE #2: Being a committed Father or Mother to all your children!

Provide your children with a solid foundation so they may be the Best That They Can Be as an adult. Be committed to all levels of child and adolescent development. Across the entire range of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:
- Physiological
- Safety
- Love, Affection and Belonging
- Self- Esteem and Esteem received from others
- Self-Actualization (a person's need to be and do that which the person was "born to do”)

There is nothing more important than being a parent! The foundation for a person's adult life is influenced, molded and formed in those formative years of life. The parent has the ability and responsibility to create the best environment for learning and enforcing social, self-confidence, attitude and leadership skills.

Like any area of expertise, parenting (and in a support role grand-parenting and teachers) requires continuous study, discussion and exercise to improve and perfect the craft.

MEANING OF LIFE #3: Life is all about learning, growing and applying (Ask Listen Try) to create an even better world.

Let's expand the traditional definition of parenting. Being parent-like could also include responsible parenting to those children of the global community called our friends, our colleagues and our neighbors. Expand the idea of Parenting or Grand-parenting to include any adult responsible for some aspect of a child's upbringing or development or education. Now with even more committed and responsible parents ensuring a healthy childhood environment, won't this be a much more supportive and tolerant world?

I must get back to being a grandfather. I truly enjoy this part of my life!


About the Author:

Carl Chesal is a business and channel development consultant, trainer, internet marketer and professional photographer. He operates BizFare Enterprise Inc, providing business, marketing, and internet marketing consulting services. Bizfare Enterprise also operates a number of secure on-line Professional Services sites, like Communicate Innovate.

Parenting Life's Ultimate Vocation - Being the Best Global Parent by Learning, Growing and Applying

Grand Parenting – Infant and Child Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) – Updated CPR Techniques

So you thought you knew about CPR techniques. You were certified prior to October 2005 as a CPR trained individual. NEWSFLASH! It is NOW time that you get CPR re-certified! If you have never been CPR trained, go do it. As parents, grandparents or anyone entrusted the care of our children CPR is a vital technique in our toolkit for emergency response.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), according to the American Heart Association 2005 document, 2005 AHA Guidelines for CPR and ECC , has been modified for all categories – Infant, Child and Adult. From Choking to full CPR response grandparents and parents alike must get trained. Your infant and children's lives could depend on your ability to administer proper choking and CPR response techniques.

Why should Parents and Grandparents know how to address choking and administer CPR?

Look at some of the statistics for choking related emergencies and deaths:

• In the USA each year 3,000 people die from choking

• About 2,600 choking accidents in the UK each year involve children under four years of age

• In Canada, choking on food causes approximately 200 deaths each year

• Babies under two years are at the highest risk from choking injuries

• Children up to age 6 years also have a high risk. Approximately 80% of emergency calls for choking are for children under 6 years

• A child with a fully obstructed airway will be dead in 4-6 minutes without help.


Every child-care provider has to be certified for CPR as part of their ECE (Early Childhood Education). Everyone in the medical, rehab, retirement and emergency response all require CPR certification. They are typically re-certified annually. As a parent you would want anyone caring for your infant or child to have CPR and Choking technique knowledge. So it makes logical sense that even you, the parent or the grandparent, should be CPR trained. CPR training is a small but important skill for anyone caring or baby-sitting an infant or child.

If I just call 911 then the ER team can administer CPR.

Yes, ER teams, once they arrive, will take over from those who have been delivering CPR to the victim. No oxygen circulation for more than 6 minutes is disaster. Immediacy of CPR delivery is paramount to a person's survival. Waiting for the ER team will be too late. CPR and Calling 911 is the only way for any level of survival success.

Isn't the CPR technique different for Infant, Child and Adult?

Until 2005 the mix of breaths to compressions was different for each category. But now it is 2 breaths and 30 quick compressions for infant (less than 1 year), child (1-8 years) or adult (over 50 lbs). The American Heart Association discovered that circulating the blood through the lungs and heart to the brain can only be accomplished with sustained quick compressions. In fact, the compressions are more important than delivering the breaths. The old method of 5 to 15 compressions has been extended to 30 quick compressions for all recipients. This delivers the necessary circulation through the lungs and heart to the brain and other body extremities.

How do I get CPR Trained?

In the USA simply contact the American Red Cross, American Heart Association or American CPR Training. In Canada CPR training is delivered by the Canadian Red Cross or St. John Ambulance. You could also check with your local hospital, fire department, ambulance, or emergency response for FREE CPR workshops that might be coming to your area.


Be the responsible parent or grandparent. Get CPR trained and get re-certified or trained at least every two years. Protect your future. Keep our children safe. Be the best parent and grandparent you can be.

Grand Parenting – Infant and Child Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) – Updated CPR Techniques