Rolling With Changes After Two New Grandchildren

Life is full of changes and change can be a challenge no matter who you are. Often times, change, good or bad, complicates things even more. Some personalities are just resistant to change while others are pretty adaptable. For my family, we certainly have experienced plenty of change in the last month. In fact, we welcomed two new babies into the brood!

My daughter had little Rosie Claire on March 19 and my daughter-in-law had little Rowan William on March 24. Seeing these two new bundles of joy join the family was very wonderful and exciting to say the least. But a growing family can be a challenging change even with two beautiful little blessings!

Each family has older siblings and it has been interesting for me to see how each has responded. For me, I’m finding new responsibilities within the Grandma role beginning to emerge!

Bringing Home a New Baby

My 21-month-old granddaughter’s world has been truly rocked. We weren’t too surprised considering the trouble she has with sharing her mommy’s lap with other children. She also doesn’t like to share Grandma with her cousins. She cries and wants to be held because she doesn’t ever want to be left out. Another baby taking her mommy’s time and lap has been difficult for her.

My daughter-in-law and son’s two children are seven years old and two-and-a-half years old. For them, it’s been a completely different experience. The seven-year-old is a huge help to her parents with her newest little brother, as she is very mature and responsible for her age. She has wholeheartedly embraced this addition to their family. Benson, the two-year-old, is just happy-go-lucky and excited to see his baby brother, but he also forgets about him and goes about his business.

Being Mindful of Older Siblings

Here are a few tips I’ve learned while interacting with my grandchildren and have begun to practice:

• Be mindful of older siblings by showing them individual attention aside from the baby
• Show the older sibling attention when holding the newborn
• Remember that each of them likes to feel “special” and individually noticed
• Look for ways to take notice of each of their individual interests then I try to weave that into our conversation or make sure the special activities we do are related to their interests

Fortunately for all of us, this is what I love to do! Now I have two new lives to study and learn, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to meet these new little humans! I’m hoping to roll with the changes, as there will obviously be many more to come!