Based on a true story 12/2/11

It’s funny hanging out with the grandparents and the baby. Every aspect of his little life is scrutinized at every turn, and every action Jeff and I take is commented on at some point. We’re not offended in the least because clearly our parents all did excellent work raising us to be perfect, well-behaved, friendly, intelligent, all-around well-rounded adults (cough cough). But seriously, their parenting methods appear to have worked out well enough.

But it is amusing how their points-of-view on things vary so widely.

Rocking baby to sleep

Us: We’re having to rock Matt to sleep for every nap in the daytime now. Otherwise he just rolls and kicks and will - not - stop - moving enough to go to sleep. (We used to just set him in the bassinet or bouncy chair and wait.)

Jeff’s mom: Well, it’s about time Matthew trained you right! Rocking him is nice.

My mom: Oh, what a horrible habit! We did that with Andrea, and it continued on forever and ever. It was terrible! We learned our lesson when you came around.

Pacifier

Me: Ehh. I don’t like it, but it helps a lot.

Jeff: No opinion, really.

My dad: Yechh. You’re going to have a tough time getting him to give that up. Ross had his till he was practically a grown-up. Look at this picture of him as a toddler with it! He needed it all the time.

My mom: It’s not big deal. Andrea didn’t use one, you didn’t really, and we lost Ross’s when we moved into the new house. It was a rough couple days, but no big deal.

Jeff’s mom: Yes! Excellent idea! You do - not - want him to suck his thumb. I should know. It took years for me to break that habit. You can just take the pacifier away, but the thumb is always there.

Sleeping on back

Us: We’re sticking with all the recommendations to minimize risk of SIDS, so Matthew sleeps on his back. We know babies used to always sleep on their stomachs, but this is one area in which we will not compromise; lots of statistics show SIDS decreased dramatically when babies started sleeping on their backs.

Jeff’s dad: You all slept on your stomachs, and you turned out fine.

Jeff’s mom: You all slept on your stomachs, and you turned out fine.

My mom: What if he spits up? Are you sure back is best? You all slept on your stomachs, and you turned out fine.

My dad: Okay. That’s what I would have done anyway; I don’t like sleeping on my stomach either.

Solid foods

This one seems more generational. Thankfully our parents have been pretty much silent on the issue, which makes me not feel discouraged with the breastfeeding.

Us: We’ll give him solid foods around six months, when he can sit up on his own, at the doctor’s recommendation.

My grandma: Are you giving him solid foods yet? When I had babies, they said to start them on solids at two weeks. It was difficult. I don’t think they liked it that young.

My old coworker: Are you giving him solid foods yet? We gave our kids solids at two or three weeks, but I think it’s all different now.

(Note: Why do they call them solid foods? They’re not very solid. I like to call it mushy food.)

And so many other topics, but these are the ones that come to mind right now. I am so thankful to have uncontentious relatives who let us make our own decisions (and mistakes), though it will be nice to move on from these particular topics to all new ones. Cause you know it’s going to happen. For the rest of our lives.