- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- grandparents today articles
- grandparents today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
"New Age" Grandma
Modern Parenting Meets Dr. Spock
By Kate Midden
An additional method of bonding is wearing the baby. My husband practiced this concept at a young age, more out of necessity than desire. His daughter was born while he was in college, so when he went to his side job (apartment maintenance), she went with him, bundled up in a homemade wrap he designed. She mowed the grass with him, painted with him and snuggled close when he had his first beer of the day. I'm not surprised she has adopted this now-popular concept and plans to keep her baby on her at all times.
I personally enjoyed putting my children down for a nap and having some time for myself, but what do I know? I just wish her father had patented his design 20-some years ago – we'd be rich.
My husband's biggest challenge was accepting circumcision rejection. Neither of us realized that circumcision is now discouraged, rather than encouraged, as it was when our children were young. Even his daughter's description of "a cruel and torturous act for an infant with possible permanent side effects" didn't relieve his concern about the torment his grandson might suffer from other children (and more important, women) for being different. When told, "If our son chooses circumcision when he's a teenager, we'll support him," my husband grimaced, rolled his eyes downward and kept silent.
Our grandson was born in Seattle on Friday, ay 13 – healthy, robust and natural, of course. The rules expanded. No visitors for two months so the new family could bond, no baby talk, no clothes except in public. We heard snippets, pored over pictures and waited impatiently to meet Miles Raymond.