After reading another "Dear Annie" where a grandmother is upset over the fact that her one and only daughter will not allow her any quality time with her first-born grandson, I decided I needed to get tough with these entitled, ungrateful grown children who all of a sudden know more about raising "baby" than their mothers and fathers ever did.
To you ingrates I offer some sound advice. Look, when we grammies were young mothers we didn't know squat about caring for infants. It was our mothers who were there to answer any and all questions, provide alternatives for persistent problems, and yes, even physically come to our aid when we were desparate. We were rookies then; you are rookies now. Don't be so stupid to think just because you've read every parent magazine, gone to countless parenting classes, and have exchanged thoughts with your equally clueless girlfriends, you are totally prepared to handle everything in the life of your little one. You're not! And won't be until you are the grammy of a newborn.
If you are lucky enough to have a mom and dad(grandparents now) to turn to at this eventful time in your life, have the smarts to take full advantage of their expertise and experience. They made mistakes, a lot of them when raising you, but they've learned from them. They are willing and able to share these with you so as to minimize your uncertainty and anxiety throughout the rearing process.
"Pride cometh before a fall" and, believe me, you will fall many times being a mom. Asking for advice and being grateful for the time to actually have grammy and papap interact with your child from birth is a blessing that not everybody gets. Instead of being a "know-it-all" be thankful to the grandparents your child has and you can certainly learn from.
If you think this harsh, then I've accomplished my goal. If you accept this advice, then you'll be able to pass it on to your children when you are "grammy!"
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