Family Living
Focus
Janice Stoudnour
Bedford County j
Cooperative Extension
Graduates Need
A Family Tapestry
It is the custom of our church
to allow the graduating high
school seniors to give a presenta
tion during a Sunday worship
service in May. Last Sunday
morning I had the opportunity to
hear four high school students
who will be graduating on June 6
give their presentations. The stu
dents presented their perspectives
on how the church, friends, and
family helped shape and mold
them into the emerging adults
that they have become.
Now if you are like me, I knew
it would be a truly moving expe
rience emotionally. After all,
graduation definitely ranks right
up near the top of the list for me
emotionally. Given four young
people who you’ve known almost
all of their lives as well as their
parents’ lives, you can’t help get
choked up when they talk about
their life experiences.
Coupled with the fact that one
of the students was my nephew, I
found it difficult seeing through a
triple layer of balled up tissues
and foggy tear-soaked contacts. I
guess I hadn’t realized until that
moment that they had really
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“grown up” and were no longer
the squirming young children
“trying” to sit attentively in a
pew each Sunday.
As a family educator, I always
find it interesting to hear what
young men and women consider
the positive motivators have been
in their lives. These four gradu
ates weren’t any different. They
talked about their parents being
involved in their lives through
sports, academics, scouting,
band, and other activities. Family
members were cited as being sup
portive in times of self-doubt and
when poor personal decisions had
been made.
They also thanked the people
in the congregation for taking
time to be a part of activities like
Bible School, camping, white
water rafting, and caving. Then
involvement showed their con
cern and commitment to help
them become better-rounded in
dividuals.
When my sons became teenag
ers, I often referred to them as
“man cubs.” They had one foot
in manhood and one foot still
under my wing. (As for myself, I
was desperately clinging to each
single feather stretching my wing
further and further!)
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Last Sunday morning each
person in that congregation also
lifted their wings to set these
newly proclaimed young adult
birds free. I, as well, saw my
nephew now as a man, and what
a good man he had become.
When you’ve been a part of
young people’s lives and shared
experiences with them, you be
come a family member whether
through blood or relationship. 1
like to think of it as a tapestry
woven with each person repre
senting a thread. This large ‘fam
ily tapestry” provides the support
and control in times of cele
bration and challenge. When a
thread in the tapestry becomes
weak, it is important for someone
else to step in to offer support
and strengthen the fabric. This
also serves as a safety net.
If you have the opportunity to
become involved in a young per
son’s life through a volunteer or
ganization, church, school, or just
being the neighbor next door, re
member even the smallest posi
tive thing you do can make a dif
ference. It is you who they will
reflect upon as having been there
to role model or offer words of
advice and kindness.
It is important for other adults
to become involved in children’s
lives and bring a new color to
their tapestry. How do you let the
bird out from under your wing?
Provide children with the safety
net of a tapestry made from love,
guidance, positive life experi
ences, and the knowledge that
people do care what becomes of
them.
This is a gift we all can begin
to give our graduates beginning
when they are children. Gradua
tion should be a time to celebrate
a job well done by everyone.
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Plants Can Be Started
From Cuttings
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) For most backyard gar
deners, the best way to start a
plant is to drive to the nearest
greenhouse and buy one. How
ever, a scientist in Penn State’s
College of Agricultural Sciences
says savvy plant lovers can save
money and have fun by starting
their own plants from cuttings.
“The reason plants can take
root from cuttings is that each
cell in the plant has all the genet
ic information necessary to pro
duce a complete plant,” explains
Robert Berghage, associate pro
fessor of horticulture. “When a
cutting is taken by snipping a
portion of the plant stem, we are
removing the connection between
the stem and the roots.”
As a result, the snipped plant
has had its growth patterns dis
rupted. These changes in growth
patterns are governed by plant
hormones produced in the leaves,
stems and roots of the plant.
Berghage explains that once a
cutting is taken, the plant hor
mones no longer can travel back
and forth between the roots and
the stem. “That means there is a
change in the balance of hor
mones within the cutting,” Berg
hage says. “The hormonal
change signals the plant to first
heal the wound, and then replace
the missing roots.”
Berghage points out that the
healing and rooting process takes
time, and gardeners must be vig
ilant in caring for plant cuttings.
“In its simplest form, cutting
production means taking a snip
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of a plant stem, sticking it in
some water, and letting it devel
op new roots,” Berghage says.
Although some plants, such as
geraniums, coleus, oleander and
mint can be propagated using
this method, Berghage explains
that many other plants require a
few more steps to get them to
root.
Berghage advises (1) do not let
the cutting dry out; (2) use a
rooting hormone; (3) use a sterile,
well-aerated and moist rooting
medium; (4) provide high humid
ity and reduced light.
“Cover the cuttings with a
plastic bag to provide high hu
midity,” advises Berghage. “If
you reduce light levels, just re
member you must have enough
light for the plant to grow.”
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