Time sure has changed things.
I remember way back when (late 70's-90's) our children were growing up. As a stay at home Mom then I looked for any convenience item I could find. My children were only 18 months apart so having two in diapers was hectic plus I was trying to wean the oldest.
That was the days of glass bottles, cloth diapers, and strange car seats. LOL!
When we got custody of our granddaughter at 4 months old in the mid-2000's I was shocked, surprised and happy at some of the changes in child rearing. I wanted to list a few of them and explain what I liked or disliked about each one. Perhaps you will remember a few and comment on them as well. :-)
1. Disposable Diapers - wow! A diaper you didn't have to hand wash the poo out of or bleach? No more strong smell of urine? No more plastic diaper covers that caused rashes? You buy these plastic covered padded diapers that velcro taped on! Yep, you could toss those huge diaper pins with plastic animals on them. Although those pins were cute as could be. But no more stuck fingers either! Now I only stick my finger when I'm checking my sugar! LOL!
2. No Spill Sippy Cups - wow again! You mean you could hand a toddler a cup with kool-aid in it and let them walk (trip) across your living room floor with no spills? Come on! They could use it in their car seat (which is another one on the list) and not spill in the car? No more watching the cup tip itself back upright - hopefully? So easy, so convenient and it took so long to invent! LOL!
3. Car Seats - Ok, so to be honest we had car seats back then but they weren't mandatory nor were they comfortable for the child and we definitely had no safe way to "hook" them safely to the car. I remember coming home from the hospital with my oldest child in my arms. And I remember trying to figure out what to do with the baby in the car while the toddler was well...toddling around inside the car. It definitely wasn't safe and a huge distraction to the driver. But my sister and I took our five children (between us) many times out in a vehicle. It's a wonder they survived...not the car trip but each other in the back seat! LOL!
4. Playpens - Playpens were not a new invention because we did have those back in the "olden days" but they sure went through a huge change. The ones we had were wood, with huge slats in the sides and a tiny 1/2" padding in the bottom. When I went to get our granddaughter one I was shocked at the accessories and comfort. My goodness a child would never want out of the new playpens to explore the world! They vibrated, played music, had a thick bedding and even had mobiles that were out of this world on them. If they had been around when I was a child I might still have been in one! LOL!
5. Baby Walker/Bouncer/Seat - And then of course when baby became able to sit up alone or crawl there were times when Mom needed to "corral" them critters. A baby walker did not stop their movement but stopped them from messing! LOL! You could put a baby in the walker and they could follow you around crying for you but could not reach across the tray to mess. You could also give them some snacks to keep them happy.
And then some families had what was called a bouncer. No, not a big bulky manly bouncer! But a seat that you could put the baby in to sooth them when they were fussy. The only problem was...it required your foot to constantly bounce the baby. No automated stuff for us.
I will never forget the day I asked at Walmart if they had a baby walker in the infant section. The clerk looked at me with shock and "suggested" something else since the government no longer allowed babies to move around while seated. LOL! Thus I found the new activity seat. Boy, did they name that thing right. It had more bells, whistles, buttons, gadgets on it than you could shake a stick at! And the seat went around and around in a circle so the child could experience all the toys on it! Wow! She might never learn to crawl because she would never want out of this thing either!
Has starting over raising a grandchild been easy? No. But I sure was one thankful ReMom for a lot of the new fanggled inventions that made things a little more convenient for raising a baby.
Now I am learning how much the public school system has changed. But that's another story for another day! LOL!
Falling in Love
When your child creates a new life as a grandparent you fall in love all over again. You remember your own child as a baby and look for similarities between the two.
As grandparents we look forward to the time in our life where we are not responsible for this new life yet we get the privilege of spoiling, loving and giving them all we couldn't give our own child.
When our oldest granddaughter was born we realized what a special gift it was to become a grandparent. She became a frequent visitor and as she grew up she soon learned to enjoy our hobby & passion - motorcycling.
Then our grandson was born. Wow, a boy! How exciting now to watch a baby boy grow into a young man. Life seemed so full to us. Our daughter had blessed us with two lovely grandchildren and being a grandparent was as the old timers say, "the cat's meow". LOL!
One Christmas our son proposed to his girlfriend and it wasn't long until we found out we were soon to be grandparents again. It had been 9 & 7 years since a baby was in the house so the thrills began again for us.
When our granddaughter was born with a cleft lip and palate we were surprised but more than that we fell in love again. When she was airlifted at 6 hours old to a children's hospital hours away we were surprised but followed her there.
At 4 months old she came to live with us for forever. Today she is six years old, has had seven surgeries and will face many more. She has not had one surgery that her Nana wasn't by her side. Today we are grandparents raising a grandchild with special medical needs. And wouldn't change a minute of it.
3 amazing grandchildren
+ 2 blessed grandparents
= Priceless
Once again it happens...
another set of grandparents are given grandchildren to raise.
I talked with a friend today whose daughter that is an addict had her children taken away by CPS this past weekend. Of course, when they called the grandparents they agreed to take the children into their home.
A lot of people don't realize how that one phone call can change your life.
First, you are forced quickly to make a decision. Do you accept the child to make sure they are cared for & loved? Or do you allow CPS to place them in the foster system not knowing what type of situation they will be put into?
Second, you quickly take a look at your lifestyle. No, I don't mean the child being a hindrance to your party time or if the child will ruin your retirement. You look at your finances...can you afford to take this child in or are you living on a fixed income from social security? Then you ponder where will the child sleep? How will you get clothes for him/her? How will you get them to their school? Do you have the money to buy extra food for the month? Will you need a babysitter while you try to keep your job?
Third, you think about the entire situation. Often this doesn't happen until you've decided some of the other questions and agree to accept the child. Then you start thinking about: what if CPS gives the child back too soon? what if the parents don't give up their addiction? how will it affect the child to bounce back & forth? what if I give my whole heart to this child only to have it ripped away?
When grandparents accept their grandchildren into their home they open their doors, their finances, their lives, their hearts and their love vulnerably. A lot of times the grandparents are at a time in life where they long for rest, peace, enjoyment of their hobbies and approach starting over again raising a child with caution.
Speaking with my friend brings all these sentiments fresh and anew to me again. But being a grandparent raising a grandchild isn't all bad...tomorrow I will write about the blessings of saying "yes" to that special phone call.
