A Grandma is Born!
The saying goes that when a child is born, so is a grandmother, so, Happy Birth Day Grandma Moore! We raised our kids together and now her daughter, that sassy little blonde, curly headed toddler who used to stand on the playgroup table as soon as I turned my back, is holding her own little boy in her arms... and her mom is standing on the threshold of a life passage that she will have to learn to navigate just as we learned to navigate parenthood... through trial and error. Still, I could try to share some of what I have learned the past 17 months as a new grandparent, so... here goes...
First and foremost:
- Be prepared to fall hopelessly in love with the baby
- Be equally prepared to stand in awe as your child blossoms into a responsible, caring parent
- Enjoy creating new memories and
- relish the old memories that spring up in the process.
- Share the knowledge you won the hard way, through experience, but,
- be prepared when you give it to have it politely ignored much of the time.
- When you begin to feel the irresistible urge to buy, forget newborn and 3 to 6 months as all the gifts will be those sizes.
- Wear a signature scent, sing a song you make up, and have a special way of greeting the child, that in time your grandchild will always associate with you.
- Babysit as much as you can and at their house in the beginning, if possible (mom and dad really need the break and they appreciate this so much they even tolerate some of your advice on occasion)
- Today's babies are put to sleep on their backs, period! (in fairness, there is some evidence that this is safer)
- "Tummy Time" is the new word for allowing the infant to be on his/her stomach and this time is scheduled.
- The ancient art of "swaddling" a baby can now only be successfully performed with a specially made blanket that costs more than our babies' strollers did.
- No matter how long you search, you will never be able to find a toy that doesn't do something by itself (usually with a lot of noise and in two different languages)
- Maria on Sesame Street is now the parent of a teenager! (How did she get so old?) and Mac Donald's is one of the proud sponsors of the show (shudder!).
- There's no more Mr. Rogers to tell you he loves you just the way you are (sigh!)
- OB/GYNs and pediatricians still act like gods and nervous, first time parents still hang on their every word.
- Breast feeding moms still need lots of sound, practical information and support because they often don't get either from allopathic medical practitioners.
- You are going to use muscles you probably haven't used in years.
- Once again, your life is changed forever,
- and, as always, the first one is still the hardest
- Attend all your mother's group meetings (soon we'll have to re-name it the grandmother's group). We'll keep you sane, like we did 30 years ago!
Don't forget to visit Nona Nita's Nook at www.nonanitasnook.com
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