We just completed the drive from sort of sunny Arizona to sort of cold and wet Idaho to see our new grandson – our sixth grandchild. As expected – at three days old he was tiny, loud, strong, and of course perfect.
What will he face when he grows up? I won’t know about a lot of his life. Will he look like me? And will he inherit my genetic link to prostate cancer? Surely there will be a cure by the time he may need it – 40 or 50 or 60 years from now. A cure four or five or six months from now would be good, too.
Helping to care for a newborn put some things in perspective;
1 I’m not really in charge – no adult is – of this small human who does what he does regardless of how much we all try to do the right thing and manage his life.
2 He sleeps when he’s ready and lets everyone know when he’s decided its time to eat – or not to eat.
3 Our best intentions may result in screaming and flailing limbs or he may cuddle and sleep for hours – it’s not totally predictable.
4 He does seem to have mastered sucking, pooping, and peeing – on his schedule.
As the grandpa, I can always hand him back to Mom and Dad when all else fails. Strangely I don’t remember a lot about the difficult times when my kids were babies – maybe because my wife did most of the hard work.
The cycle of life continues...
axman
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