A Lesson


DH has often teased me about needing a degree "just" to change nappies (diapers) and wipe noses in my job. I've managed to shrug it off and laugh with him but after today he will have even more reason to tease me.

We were helping Son#2 to look after The Most Adorable Granddaughter in the World#4 since DIL#2 had gone back to her hometown to attend a funeral and Son#2 had worked last night and needed at least a few hours of sleep.

Looking after The Most Adorable Granddaughter#4 is not an entirely new experience - we've done it before with varying degrees of success. If she just needs to sleep then all is fine. It's when she needs a feed that things can get tricky.

Before going off to bed Son#2 had told us that The Most Adorable Granddaughter#4 would most likely wake and need a feed around nine thirty or ten o'clock in the morning. She woke right on schedule but food she was not interested in. I decided not to push it, thinking that she'd come to it when she was ready.

Wrong. By eleven o'clock she was still refusing her bottle. Up until now she had been happy to play with her toys or to have our dog Kielsie lick her hand or to help me water the garden (she watered me more than the plants) but by eleven she was starting to get a little grizzly and I concluded that she was hungry.

Surely she'd take her bottle now?

No.

In desperation, I suggested to Son#5 that he might like to try, adding that she probably wouldn't take it. The next thing I knew, he was plonking an empty bottle down on the bench.

Not fair.


I suspect that The Most Adorable Granddaughter in the World#4 decided that she didn't care about any of my pieces of paper nor the fact that I had managed to raise five sons or even that she is not my first granddaughter but my fourth: she was not going to take a bottle from me but instead from Uncle#5 who, being the youngest in the family, probably has the least experience with babies.

I had the feeling that I'd been put in my place. It was done very nicely, but it was a lesson to me all the same: don't think you know it all when it comes to babies - especially this baby! Hopefully I'll remember that in future. (And will she take her bottle from me tomorrow???)

Comments

Ohtawen said…
I hope you won't feel offended, Jules, but I laughed a little after reading the story. Why? Well, it reminded me very much of my own family! Another Grandma (my Mom) has the same trouble with her Grandson (my nephew). That little boy has a partiality towards his Aunt, so you can pretty much guess how lunch and play look like when both Aunt and Grandma are present ;)

On the other hand, you can be proud of your Son! It's obvious he knows with little children. I suspect he will make an excellent father one day.
Unknown said…
Lol. She just wanted her uncle that day! That was so sweet to see the picture of your son feeding your granddaughter her bottle :). There is a baby in the nursery at church who always prefers my husband over me. Here I am, the one who was a nanny for years and years with all the "experience"! Nope, it doesn't matter to her. She wants Jeff, who says he feels incredibly ill equipped to take care of her :).
Sharlene said…
I had to chuckle a little. I had times like that as well, but it was with my own children. A couple of the them preferred to be fed by an older sister who was not that much older. children are so interesting.
Jules said…
Ohtawen, I wasn't offended. She's always been fussy when it comes to her bottle. It's one of the reasons she's bottlefed: she refused to nurse in the early weeks and was becoming dehydrated.

Jen, like you, caring for children is my field. I have a Diploma and a Degree in Early Childhood Education and many years of experience. I'm also currently the team leader in an under two's centre with four other teachers under me and responsible for twelve babies at any given time: and still my granddaughter turns up her nose at that and prefers someone with no experience! Yes, I think it's funny and rather cute.

Sharlene, I nursed my own children so I didn't experience something like this until they were taking solids and then it was usually a grandparent who held out bribes of chocolate biscuits that they wanted. Who can compete with that?
SchnauzerMom said…
She's beautiful. Maybe being with your youngest son reminded her a little of being with daddy.