It's been a while since I have bored shared with you photos of my grandtwins. Like every grandparent and parent I like to take pictures at birthday (and other) parties. Though I have been taking all sorts of photos for about 50 years, when it comes to parties, I tend to revert to pure snapshot mode - and there really is nothing wrong with that except I know I can (and should) make the most of the opportunity to do something more ... at least for some of the shots.
(If you would like to learn more about how these shots ... and shots of other children ... were taken, click here to view Gathered Images.)
This past weekend, was my daughter-in-law’s birthday party, and I had an opportunity to take some photos. Have a look ...
And my favorite ... he had just scored the highest he had ever scored on the Wii basketball game he had been playing ...
It was three decades ago and our children were young. Not just the two who tagged after my wife and myself, but those of my friends and indeed a large portion of my generation. We, the baby boom generation, had come into our own.
It was fun watching them grow and develop from helpless little creatures into walking, talking and thinking (!) children. We enjoyed going places with them and seeing the wonder in their eyes as they learned about things ... first at home, then in the neighborhood, our city (one of the most wonderful in the world I might add), our state, our country and the world.
All too soon they were adults, and adults that we are very proud of. They have accomplished so much in what seems to us to be so short a time. They are grown, married and are at that point that we were all those many years ago.
And now comes the feeling of déjà vu. The next generation has come along. They are at the point of being anywhere from the helpless newborn to the walking and talking and thinking (!) children that we remember our children to have been. It is no longer our friends who visit with their youngsters, but our children and their friends. They are now embarking on the journey we have had, and we can come along for the ride. When we talk with our friends these days we no longer brag about our children (well, maybe we still actually do!) but share pictures and stories about our grandchildren. And it is great!
When my daughter was born back in the 70's, my wife and I did what most first time parents of the day did - we bought Dr. (not Mr.) Spock's book, Baby and Child Care. First published in 1946, by the end of the 20th century it had sold more than 50 million copies and had been translated into 39 languages. Everyone knew that this was the "bible" of caring for your baby, right?
Our pediatrician, very early in the course of things, explained to us exactly how to use the book. You put it under a table leg to stop the table from rocking. You can also use the pages to start the charcoal in your grill during the summer months.
Now to be fair, her advice was not solely directed at Dr. Spock's book, but generally all "how to" books on parenting. Her reasoning was that new parents, especially first time new parents, will- among other things - read these books and start comparing developmental milestones listed in the book with their own child's development, and if they don't match, get unnecessarily worried. Every child is different and the developmental milestones are averages, not necessarily carved in stone event dates.
Sometimes these books will tell parents that something in particular must be done at a specific age. When "the book" said it was time to introduce fish to my daughter's list of foods, my wife diligently did so. My daughter hated it. When she discussed it with our pediatrician, she simply said to my wife, "She doesn't like it, so don't feed it to her."
And toys and games with ages on them are also just suggestions. A child may well be ready for a toy that says it's for a particular age before they actually are that age. This is where common sense and knowing your child become the real skills of parenting.
Yet, even today I still see parents reading books of this type and getting concerned if their child does not hit those milestones when the book says they should. I saw this recently with my own grandtwins, who today turn 18 months old. A year and a half! (At 2 years old we stop counting by months, right?) We knew that they were physically capable of walking, but neither of them had actually taken more than a step or two by themselves without holding on to someone or something. People were getting concerned. I said all along that one of these days they would simply decide it was time and then just take off. (My daughter almost "failed" kindergarten because she couldn't skip, though there was nothing wrong developmentally. She just never really had a reason. So we practiced skipping.) Sure enough, one day they decided to get going.
Life will never be the same for my son or daughter-in-law.
I'll admit it - I thoroughly enjoyed raising my two children. While they were very young it was fun to watch all the milestones such as first solid food, first tooth, first word. Of course, now with the distance of years since that time, it's easy to forget the other part of those days ... the nighttime feedings, the illnesses, the crying, and all of those dirty diapers! Of course I wouldn't have exchanged it for anything, as that is just part of enjoying little kids ... isn't it?
But then I discovered ... grandchildren! Or in my case (so far) ... grandsons - twin grandsons. Two new children in the family - and my wife didn't have the "inconvenience" of being pregnant or giving birth. I didn't have to put up with the "fun" of the personality changes of her being pregnant. We did wait through the night when they were born, but naturally, that was the fun part.
Their first year we got to see so many of their firsts, such as their first holiday (Halloween), their first New Year's Eve, and all of the developmental firsts such as the first smile ... times two!!! And while a diaper or two was changed, the bulk of that fell to their parents. Yes there was the drool, spit-up and all those fun things, but when they happened, all we had to do was hand them back to mom and/or dad. Ahh the perks of being a grandparent. And of course, we get to spoil them rotten.
At seventeen months old now, they are much more like little boys than babies, and quite a bit more interactive. When one looks into my phone case and looks at me and says, "Hi?", I know he wants to know where my phone is - one of his favorite things to play with. And how much fun is it watching the other twin trying to figure out some new feature of one of his toys? And though they are twins - albeit fraternal as opposed to identical - their personalities are so different from each other in every manner ... from what they like to eat, to how they like to play, and how they interact with other people. Be careful, or Sean will hustle you with a game of pool!
But this is such a fun age because they are constantly surprising you. New vocabulary - although the ubiquitous "NO!" has already become a regular part of how they will answer questions.
As the saying goes, if I knew that grandchildren were so much fun, I would have had them first.
But then I discovered ... grandchildren! Or in my case (so far) ... grandsons - twin grandsons. Two new children in the family - and my wife didn't have the "inconvenience" of being pregnant or giving birth. I didn't have to put up with the "fun" of the personality changes of her being pregnant. We did wait through the night when they were born, but naturally, that was the fun part.
At seventeen months old now, they are much more like little boys than babies, and quite a bit more interactive. When one looks into my phone case and looks at me and says, "Hi?", I know he wants to know where my phone is - one of his favorite things to play with. And how much fun is it watching the other twin trying to figure out some new feature of one of his toys? And though they are twins - albeit fraternal as opposed to identical - their personalities are so different from each other in every manner ... from what they like to eat, to how they like to play, and how they interact with other people. Be careful, or Sean will hustle you with a game of pool!
