Yesterday I was browsing through one of those forums for pregnant women and read a post one of the users had written. The post was entitled something along the lines of, “Will you be calling grandparents from the hospital?” I read through the thread and when I finished reading it, I thought, “That post had a dumb title…not one of those women called their grandparents after the baby was born, they just called their own parents.” Then it dawned on me. The parents ARE the grandparents.
In becoming parents ourselves, we’re creating an entire new level in our family. We’re creating grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
A baby is only a baby for a little while, but soon grows into a person with its own personality and own role in the family, own way of interacting with us all. Somewhere in the back of my mind there is a post brewing about how Graham and I aren’t just creating a new child to live here in the house with us, we’re creating an entire childhood for some little person we don’t even know yet. The weight of that responsibility is staggering at times.
just dont call them until the baby is born or they will push open the door just as all your goods are on display. yes, I learned the HARD way
Personally? I didn’t want ANYONE at the hospital (when I was there with my first). Not that they listened, but that’s another story!!
It’s an amazing feeling, becoming a family, and it can be overwhelming if you think too much about it…it’s more about feeling it, for me, anyway. It’s wonderful.
I sometimes (still) have to really think about the fact that the ‘parents’ in our lives are such different people to our kids. Regardless of my relationship with them (which is mostly good, but you know, adult, so it can be complicated), I try hard to cultivate a really great grandparent-grandchild relationship.
But, yes, like the others above have said – don’t tell them the baby was born until you are quite ready for them to barge through the door. We gave them the news (both kids born just after midnight) but had to repeat several times – do NOT show up before 9am tomorrow!
I didn’t call until after and the whole family knew I want to keep my privacy and birth experience between Daren and I.
But yeah – sometimes I have to stop and remember that the kids should call Gramma & Papa, etc. Try not to overthink it – it IS staggering!
My mom and Josh’s mom were there for both deliveries.
For us, it just happened organically. You don’t intentionally build a childhood, it just unfolds around you as you step into it. You guys will do great with this, I know.