Ever seen a couple, holding a tiny little overly wrapped wriggling baby in their hands? They are very hard to miss especially in a pediatricians waiting area. It is their faces that give them out, the bewilderment, the confusion and the general overall look of passing out any moment. I can’t help but smile at the sight of this specie because well, I have been there and done that. No new parent has escaped the haunting queries like is the baby fed enough, warm enough, too cold, too tight, not well fed, is sleeping enough, may be sleeping too much, too red, too pale etc From endless nights of baby crying and trying to decipher the crying code to checking the diaper a million times to just sitting through the night trying and calculating the baby breaths, watching closely the heaving chest, are all the things that make this bond ever so strong. These are also the things that transition young adults into parents – giving them the right to give that look to a teenager of ‘oh so you are trying to tell me, I don’t know what I am talking about? Wait till you have your children!’ or ‘what have I not done for you?’ and the disbelieving hurt that follows. But the truth of the matter is that it is something we all must go through to understand what it means to have a child. It’s amazing how a tiny little thing holds the core of the parent’s existence in one wail, just one cry.
Strangely enough the babies to follow are much less dramatic. The transition parents go through between the firstborns to the next is simply amazing – nothing fazes the second timers. They feel in charge of things, are much more prepared and aware. Their main concern and role becomes that of a referee and a guide for letting the second child fit in the already very snuggly tight trio. They are in a much better position to mock the first times, and mostly dads thoroughly enjoy this blessing. This is the same phenomenon which later on translates into what is called the ‘grandparents revenge’. I tell you they all secretly enjoy our miseries, its their time to sit back and enjoy the show! Mostly followed by the new parents come back with ‘in your time and day it wasn’t this tough..’ but trust me it’s just the same ….time and time again – it’s a circle of life and this is exactly how it works, every single time.
Strangely enough the babies to follow are much less dramatic. The transition parents go through between the firstborns to the next is simply amazing – nothing fazes the second timers. They feel in charge of things, are much more prepared and aware. Their main concern and role becomes that of a referee and a guide for letting the second child fit in the already very snuggly tight trio. They are in a much better position to mock the first times, and mostly dads thoroughly enjoy this blessing. This is the same phenomenon which later on translates into what is called the ‘grandparents revenge’. I tell you they all secretly enjoy our miseries, its their time to sit back and enjoy the show! Mostly followed by the new parents come back with ‘in your time and day it wasn’t this tough..’ but trust me it’s just the same ….time and time again – it’s a circle of life and this is exactly how it works, every single time.