“Being a grandparent in this century is fascinating. Last century we were wise parents. On this one, we are just prehistoric.”
I spent this weekend in New York babysitting my 19-month old grandson. I was changing his diaper, and my son noticed that I kept turning the wipe so I could use it various times. He told me: “You use that wipe a lot more than me. I wipe once and then I get a new one.” His comment made me realize the huge gap between his generation and mine, and we are just 30 years apart. I can’t even imagine what my grandmother would think if she was alive today.
I was born in the 60s where disposable diapers were not even a dream. My mom and grandmother had to use cloth diapers, wash them and re-wash them to be used over and over again. Thankfully, by the time my turn came to become a mommy in the 80s, disposable diapers were already the norm. But we were still far behind from the generation that is becoming parents today.
In many ways, we have advanced and come a long way, which makes babysitting our grandkids in the 21st century much easier. The baby monitor is now on my phone, and I can see the baby while he sleeps. In other ways, though, we are not doing so good. Yes, it is much easier to use disposable diapers than cloth ones, and much better not to have to worry about turning the wipe around to use just one or two wipes, instead of five or six, but recent studies have shown us that all these disposable items are seriously affecting our environment. Ninety-nine percent of the stuff we buy today is trashed within six months. And we are getting worst with every generation. It’s not just the baby stuff, today, almost everything is disposable. I read recently that in the past forty years we have produced more waste than in the entire history of humanity.
I remember my grandfather always carrying a handkerchief. My husband still received handkerchiefs during Christmas. If I were to give a handkerchief to my sons today, they will probably ask me: “What is that for?” My dad reused the piece of aluminum foil where he carried his lunch for an entire week, or maybe even longer if it was still in good condition. We never threw away the old newspapers. My grandmother would use them to clean the windows. We used them to wrap the glass items to place inside boxes. We even used them to wrap garbage before we threw it out so it wouldn’t smell. My grandparents kept their photographs in old shoe boxes. My grandmother used to have a box full of buttons, safety pins and other sewing knick knacks. I picked up this custom from her. I save all the extra buttons that come with the clothing. I don’t think I have ever had to use one because I don’t keep my clothes long enough for them to lose a button, but I just can’t throw the buttons away… just in case.
I grew up with the mentality that we had to save everything just in case we needed it in the future, but I think my generation is probably the last one, at least in the US, that has an issue throwing away things. I saved my kids’ belly buttons, their first haircuts, their teeth, their first drawings and their first school uniforms. I’m sure my kids will not save anything of my grandkids. At the most, they may take a picture and save it on their iPhones. We have become a disposable society. We don’t save anything anymore.
The iPhone is another device that becomes obsolete when the new model comes out. I think I’m about three or four years behind. Why should I get rid of it when it works perfectly? But not for the newer generations. They change phones faster than I can learn to use them. Cars are not purchased anymore, they are leased and exchanged every three years, or even less. Computers, TVs, appliances… we don’t wait to exchange them until they stop working, that would be a sacrilege. Granted… they don’t last long nowadays. You are lucky if you buy something that doesn’t break within the year.
So yes, for those of us that were born in the last century, especially in the first sixty years, we have had to adapt rapidly. I have discovered that being a grandparent in this century is fascinating. Last century we were wise parents. On this one, we are just prehistoric. We don’t know anything. We did everything wrong with our kids. I have no idea how they survived. We put them to sleep on their tummy, how horrible. Now they must sleep face up. And forget the crib bumpers, pillows or blankets. They must sleep in a bare crib inside a sleep sack which I call the sack of potatoes. I don’t have to feed him, he does that all by himself. Cleanup does take a little longer since the food ends up in his hair, in his hands, in his feet and all around him. But he is learning much faster than my kids ever did. And I was a horrible mother introducing my kids to sweets so early in life. My grandson’s dessert is cheerios. We are not allowed to give him any ice cream or anything with sugar. And we better don’t cheat because we have nanny cams watching us all around us.
Babies now are also very technologically advanced. My grandson only speaks a few words, but he clearly says: “Hey Google.” His parents own the Alexa counterpart. He has spent the first nineteen months of his life listening to his parents say: “Hey Google, turn on the lights.” “Hey Google, how’s the weather today?” “Hey Google, play a song.” Of course he now clearly says: “Hey Google.” And he knows exactly where Google is. He looks at it, and he laughs when Google responds to him by turning on its lights. I would have never imagined such a device thirty years ago.
My grandson also talks to his wrist. His parents soon realized that he was imitating his Dada talking to his Apple Watch. He also knows how to navigate the iPhone perfectly by scrolling his little finger until he starts to open all the Apps. And he loves seeing himself on my screensaver. He points at the phone and calls out: “Baby,” and laughs when I show him the screen.
I love my Benedict more than life so I adapt, and I obey his dada and mama’s instructions. I must admit that they are doing a great job. This is the first time that me and my hubby stayed with him on our own, and he did great. He is so well behaved that as long as we followed his routine, he didn’t give us any trouble at all. He falls sleep on his own, and doesn’t even cause a fuss. But I must say it has been hard adapting to all the new gadgets and technology. Hopefully, by the time I’m on grandchild number five, I will be an expert 21st century grandma. Or maybe not. Who knows what new technology will be around a few years from now. I probably won’t even need to read them a book. Artificial Intelligence will take away the job from me.
Copyright © 2023 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
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