Times change, and I have become acutely aware of changing times since the birth of my granddaughter, Celia, eleven months ago. All day long I’m tempted to say, “In my day, we did it this way.” But there’s no point. Times have changed, and there’s nothing I can do but try to adapt.
Everything is different from putting a baby down for a nap to feeding her. Before baby learns to roll over, she must sleep on her back. With my kids, it was the opposite, the theory being if they slept on their backs they might sit up and choke. Now babies must sleep on their backs. No blankets allowed.
Then, food: Organic baby food...never thought about it until now. Nothing else is acceptable. Do I want to stuff my grandchild with pesticides? I feel like I’m held together by pesticides and chemicals, but what do I know I only raised three children from birth to adulthood.
Diapers: Landfills are full of disposable diapers, so planet-respecting moms use cloth diapers. Well, we have a severe water shortage in our region, so that thinking is being reviewed. As far as I’m concerned, disposable diapers were a wonderful invention and should be given their due.
The car seat: With my babies, I put them in a car bed. When they were toddlers, they stood up on the passenger side. I held my arm out when I took sharp turns or hit the brakes. Now car seats cost a fortune and must be installed by an engineer. And it’s not just one car seat, it’s a car seat for every weight and, really, shouldn’t you buy an SUV? (After all, you use cloth diapers, so you’re already doing enough for Mother Earth, right?)
I’m not lost in nostalgia for the good ole days. I’m just saying that having a baby now involves so many more considerations. I drive a 1993 Ford Escord. No way am I allowed to transport Celia.
Stroller: We had a second-hand metal deal that worked just fine for the first two kids and for the last child we bought a new one that folded up readily. Now the new strollers are huge and expensive and require that recently purchased SUV to transport. Thank goodness for the umbrella stroller, but now two strollers are needed, sometimes three.
Travel: Babies are often taken on planes, get used to it Grandma. Fortunately, parents with babies go to the head of the security checkpoint line, but woe be unto you if you’re on a plane with a wailing baby. Mom has her diaper bag with every kind of item stowed away in various compartments, but all those gadgets and gizmos may not soothe the wailing baby. Better hope for no flight delays.
Toys: Two words that strike fear in all of us: lead paint. I live in constant fear that Celia will put something in her mouth that has lead paint, and since she puts her tongue on the floor, the couch, the coffee table, and the chair, it’s hard to figure out which hazards to remove. Another three words that strike fear: Made in China. Everything I own seems to be Made in China, so what am I to do?
Television: How much is too much? Television was so benign in the good ole ignorant days of yore. My kids watched Captain Kangaroo and that was about it, but now we have the sort of creepy Teletubbies, which seems to fascinate babies. The prospect of a moment of peace tempts me to let Celia watch. How bad could it be? As for me, I want to watch the news and catch up on the latest catastrophe. Celia only occasionally looks up at the screen, but am I grooming her to be a mush-brained couch potato? Will she only want to watch TV and not her books?
And don’t get me started on children not being able to go outside and play and how the schools are failing them.
