The Country School is an independent, coeducational, Pre-K through 8 school founded in 1934.
Right Start Blog
Parenting (and Grandparenting) in the Modern Era
Mrs. Rajacich shares a bit about her experience as a mother and how it compares to parenting this day in age as she watches her first grandchild grow.
Today is my first (and only) grandchild’s first birthday. This little guy has brought so much joy to my family, as any baby would. He lives 500 miles away in Charlotte, but I am determined that he will know me and that I will be more than a “vacation” grandmother. I have seen him 16 times in the past year and accumulated many miles on American Airlines! I have become a fan of FaceTime--my daughter turns the camera so that Russell cannot see me, and I just watch him play. These visits and FaceTime calls are the highlights of my life these days.
My daughter and her husband are doing a great job as parents in an era when being a parent is not easy. It seems so much harder for parents nowadays than it was when my husband and I were raising our three children. I assume that every grandparent makes comparisons...how can you not? As a teacher, I am tempted to draw a Venn Diagram, but that is more appropriate for my math classroom than this blog, so instead I’ll just share a few observations.
Information overload is the name of the game these days. Social media posts, blogs, tweets, books, and connections with so many friends provide a constant stream of opinions and advice on every conceivable topic on parenthood. When I was a new parent, I had a few friends with children, our pediatrician, my parents, and books to turn to if I had a question. I wonder whether all of this information and opinion is a good thing; in my case, I suppose ignorance was bliss.
Stuff, stuff, and more stuff. There is baby equipment galore these days: special seats for the bathtub, high chairs for traveling, special pads and pillows, nursing mother equipment that my generation never imagined, sleep sacks and swaddling options, pool floats, strollers for all occasions, and car seats that could take a child into space. My mother thought I had a lot of stuff when my kids were young, but what I had was nothing compared to what families have today.
Pictures, pictures everywhere. I thought I took a lot of pictures of my daughter (my first child), but it doesn’t compare to the number of pictures I have of my grandson! Thank goodness for our cell phones--I feel as though I don’t miss a thing, thanks to daily photos of my grandson just being cute.
Aspects of parenting that have not changed? Lack of sleep, the angst during that first ear infection, tears shed that first time you leave your child at daycare, thanks for a dog who eats the food dropped on the floor, arguments over whose turn it is to change the diaper, and the sheer joy a parent feels when their child rolls over, sits up, or takes that first step.
My husband and I drove through the night last year to be there when Russell was born. This year, we will fly to Charlotte for the weekend to enjoy his birthday party, and to celebrate the wonder of his life and the joys of grandparenting. We look forward to many more years of joy with this little guy.
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