Sharing - Toddler Almost Choked To Death On A Grape

~ Posted on Thursday, December 3, 2015 at 12:02 AM ~

I came across this article which I must definitely share with you guys. Do note that sharing this does not mean I agree or disagree with it. Do read up the extra articles right after the post for reference. For your convenience, I have copied the excerpts from the article here:

A quick-thinking nan saved the life of her two-year-old grandson after he nearly choked to death on a grape in front of his terrified parents. Little Jake Jackson's face turned purple as he fought for air after the piece of fruit got stuck in his throat.

Toddler Almost Choked To Death On A Grape

But as he was about to lose consciousness, his grandma Michelle Oakley stuck her fingers down the toddler's throat and cleared his pipes. The lucky escape comes just a few weeks after tragic youngster Jacob Jenkins died after choking on grape in Pizza Hut . The restaurant chain subsequently banned the fruit from all branches across the UK.

Jake Jackson's mum Sophie, 24, said she usually cuts the grapes in half before feeding them to Jake. But her son was sitting on the sofa and grabbed two from his grandfather’s plate before she could dive the two and a half yards to stop him. She said: “Jake sat down on the sofa near my dad he got a couple of grapes and put them in his mouth. “My dad called me straight away and before I got to Jake he was already choking. I immediately put him over my knee and hit his back several times. “It didn't work I put my fingers down his throat, I couldn't feel the grapes. Jake could not breathe. “Jake’s dad Mark grabbed him and started hitting his back while I rang an ambulance. “Jake was blue and purple and had stopped struggling. His arms went down and he just flopped forward.

"I said ‘We need to get it out or he is going to die’. “We could not see the grape at all until Mark compressed Jake’s stomach so my mum could see the grape. “She pinched it with her nails which without doubt saved his life. Mark was still hitting Jake’s back. “My mum’s finger nail popping the grape made the smallest amount of room in Jake’s airway. “He finally had the strength to retch and bring the grape up. "We knew we could beat the ambulance to hospital so we took him in the car. “His ears and cheeks were still purple and the doctor and nurses told me he is extremely lucky to be alive.” 

The lad, who did not even shed a tear during his ordeal, has now made a full recovery but Ms Jackson, of Pitt Street, off Albert Avenue, west Hull, said she was still getting over the shock.

She is warning other parents to be aware of the danger posed by young children swallowing grapes whole. She added: “I am far from a careless parent. "I always cut Jake's grapes. My dad was eating the grapes and Jake grabbed two just being a cheeky two year old. “He put them straight in his mouth before we could do anything. I went straight to Jake but he was already choking.


For further reading:

* The most common food choking hazards in babies and toddlers - and how to prevent them

* St John Ambulance The Chokeables advert: save a choking baby

* How to Treat a Choking Baby - First Aid Training - St John Ambulance


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Sharing - Japanese Dad Teaches Daughter How To Handle Alcohol

~ Posted on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 at 12:37 AM ~

I came across this article which I must definitely share with you guys. I don't know the authenticity of this article but it gave me a nice warm tingly feeling after reading this article. Do note that sharing this does not mean I agree or disagree with it. For your convenience, I have copied the excerpts from the article here:

‘When I was younger I was a bit of a rebel. I hung out with some “bad” kids and did some stupid things, but nothing that could get me in trouble. When I hit the drinking age, I think my parents were worried about me but didn’t know what to do. They knew that no matter what they said I’d just do what I wanted anyway, so they were stuck. Finally, one day my dad said this to me:

“Hey Reiko, let’s go out drinking together sometime! I’ll take you wherever you want and you can order whatever you want. We can go to some fancy places, it’ll be great.”

Japanese Dad Teaches Daughter How To Handle Alcohol

 As any young person who gets invited out to drink with their dad would probably feel, I didn’t really want to do. But, at the same time, back then I was interested in seeing what nightlife was like. I’d only just barely gotten a taste of it. So, we went out, just me and my dad. Once we were on the town, he said this: “All right! Drink all you want, Reiko. Drink until you can’t anymore. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we get home. You feel free to go crazy.”

 It felt really weird being told my dad to “drink all I wanted.” Wouldn’t Mom still be mad at me if I came home drunk? But, I didn’t worry about it too much. I’d already come this far, and Dad said he’d treat me to whatever I wanted, so I decided to take full advantage of the opportunity.

The first stop: a meat-grilling restaurant. The hostess thought I was Dad’s new girlfriend, which he was happy to play right along with.

The second stop: a nightclub. I had some drinks, and the people there saw through Dad’s ruse of pretending I was his girlfriend. But that just made him even happier. He jokingly blamed them figuring it out on my eyes, which he claimed looked just like his.

The third stop: a sushi bar. The chef was nice and had a hint of jealousy in his voice when he talked to my dad. He said that for parents,hanging out with their kid like he was doing with me was a dream come true. My dad was thrilled and encouraged me to keep eating and drinking, since this was a rare opportunity for the two of us to be out.

The fourth stop: a pub. I don’t remember much at that point. I don’t really remember what I drank… what we talked about….

The fifth stop: a “snack” bar. Don’t remember a thing. Pretty sure I just collapsed on the counter.

After that, Dad called a taxi and helped carry me home. I remember briefly regaining consciousness during that time: “Oh wow. Hey, sorry, Dad. I got kinda drunk.” “It’s okay. You just go to sleep.”

The next morning when I woke up in bed I felt awful. Not only from the hangover, but also the embarrassment of having drunk so much last night in front of my dad. I didn’t really want to face him after my drunken display last night. But when I went to the living room, Dad was already gone. My mom gave me a note he’d written for me on the back of some advertisement. It read:

“To Reiko.

Last night was fun. We should do it again sometime. Also, Reiko, do you know how much you drank last night to get in that groggy state? You had two beers and five chuhai (shochu high-ball). That’s your ‘limit.’

So from now on, when you go out drinking with friends, be sure to stop before you reach that limit. The world has some bad people in it, and some of them may want to take advantage of you. I can’t be around to protect you, so that’s why we did this, so you can know your own limit and protect yourself. I know you can do it.

Love, Dad.”

 And I proceeded to eat my breakfast in tears. Mom told me that she and Dad had been worried for a long time how to best tell me all this. Rather than forbid me from doing things they knew I’d do anyway, Dad decided to show me how to take care of myself.

And for that I thank you, Dad. Because of what you did, I never went past my “limit.” I never had any problems with alcohol. I had fun out drinking with friends and never get hurt, thanks to what you taught me. Now, years later, my dad isn’t as cool as he used to be. He’s an old man. The guy who took me around town drinking is gone. Instead he just spends the days in his garden, growing vegetables for me and his grandchildren to eat.

I am who I am today because of you, Dad. And I can’t think you enough.’

What do you think?


** Note: I have disabled the commenting feature on my blog engine thanks to all the spammers who happily spam my blog every day. If you wish to ask me any questions, you can find me at my Facebook page (I'm there almost everyday) or just drop me an email if you wish to maintain some anonymity.

Sharing - Funny Parenting Jokes

~ Posted on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 9:48 PM ~

Funny Parenting Jokes