According to columnist, Tom and Dee and Cousin Key of the Sidney Daily News here are the Best and Worst of 2016
By Tom and Dee and Cousin Key
BEST WAY TO KEEP ON SMILING: When you’re feeling down and the grandchildren aren’t around to cheer you up, remember the good times. People who study these things say that recalling personal moments of joy and accomplishments is the best method of beating the blues.
WORST TOY: Always hotly contested, this year’s winner is a toss-up between the Slimeball Slinger (potential for serious eye injury) and The Good Dinosaur Galloping Butch (potential for significant puncture injury). Who thinks up those crazy names?
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BEST STATE(S) FOR GROWING GRANDCHILDREN: It’s Minnesota, according to a study by the respected Annie E. Casey Foundation that tracked economic, educational, health and family/community trends between 2008-2014 that impact child welfare. Massachusetts, Virginia, Connecticut, Iowa and New Jersey are among states that also scored well.
WORST CELEBRITY ROLE MODEL: We’re this close to shutting down this category because the Kardashian clan is simply too good at behaving badly. Superficial, self-absorbed and materialistic as they are, millions of impressionable grandchildren hang on their every utterance.
BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK NEWS: We’ve always put great stock in the power of books, and multiple sources indicate that more grandchildren are learning to love digital books and acquiring the reading habit. Here’s a surprise: According to Pew Research, grandparents and other seniors over age 65 are the least likely book readers.
WORST FINANCIAL TRICKERY: Law enforcement authorities are all too familiar with the grandparent scam, whereby someone pretending to be your grandchild convinces you to send money immediately because of some dire unexpected emergency. Some predict one in five grandparents will be actively targeted.