I have a two year old grandson. His name is Cooper and we spend a lot of time together. We get along pretty well considering that we have such diverse taste. I like to watch the news and sport on the TV while he goes more for Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol and Ben and Holly. He controls the remote.
I have a preference for sitting in my recliner while he likes to spend his time on the floor. That’s ok too except that he expects me to share the floor with him while we play with building bricks, trains and other bits and pieces.
Playing with him on the floor isn’t the problem. It’s getting down there in the first place and then trying to get back up again that causes the grief. Creaking knees and a dodgy back make those simple tasks a little more complicated for a granddad but Cooper has absolutely no sympathy. He completely ignores my protests and insists that the floor is the best place to play.
In the fine weather he likes to go outside and play games that involve running around, falling on the grass and rolling over. He likes to be chased. Most of what he likes to do involves lots of movement. There doesn’t appear to be any games that involve sitting quietly or just remaining still for a bit.
At some point during the morning he gives in for a couple of hours and takes to the cot for a nap. That gives granddad an opportunity to take to the recliner for one as well and to prepare for the next onslaught.
After minding the small man for the day, I am worn out. It’s full on and extremely tiring but in a nice way. When the small face looks up at you and gives you a broad smile it seems to take away the pain and frees up the joints for another spot of running.
There is a reason that we have our kids when we are young. It is just so much more difficult when you get older to keep up with the demands of a tiny person. Especially when, in their eyes, you should be able to do everything they want to do and you should be able to do it at their pace.
A lot has changed since my parenting days and life was definitely different back then. There were fewer distractions for kids and there’s no doubt that we were living in simpler times. Technology alone in the last ten years has changed the lives of children dramatically. Whether or not it’s changed for better or worse is a redundant argument in many ways because the change is here to stay, like it or not.
For kids today, there’s no such thing now as waiting for anything. There is instant entertainment available at the push of a button on their electronic tablet or laptop. Their favourite cartoon can be called up at any time of the day or night.
Cooper has introduced me to a lot of new things over the last twelve months. Until then I had never heard of The Baby Channel, Peppa Pig or Paw Patrol but now I have become a bit of an expert.
The Baby Channel was a life saver during his first year while he suffered from reflux. During his many waking hours he got endless entertainment out of it. For those of you who haven’t seen it, it’s a non- stop stream of programmes, without advertisements, for babies. Whoever designed it knows their business and kids love it.
There was a period when we thought he was addicted to it but he seems to have let it go without any trauma. There is also an educational side to the channel and our little guy has been making a great effort at counting and reciting nursery rhymes for some time as a result of it.
There’s another aspect of this modern parenting that takes a little getting used to and that is how to properly challenge the bad behaviour of the little monsters. Discipline is a lot different to what it was in my time. Use of the wooden spoon in this era of parenting will result in a complaint to the local police and probably result in a lengthy spell behind bars.
Life wouldn’t be much fun on your release either because you would be ostracised by the community for inflicting torture on a child. U.N.I.C.E.F, the H.S.E, Amnesty International and probably a host of other organisations would have you on their hit list. You would spend the rest of your days in shame, wearing a wig and dark glasses and afraid to leave the house.
The new style of correction involves much more negotiation and might seem a little alien to us but maybe it’s for the best. There are many who don’t appreciate the difference between a slap on the back of the hand and corporal punishment. There are lots of examples of cases where children have been subjected to unspeakable acts of cruelty so maybe this more gentle approach is a better plan.
Having been through the child minding bit with my own children I am very aware that the time we spend with them while they are little goes by quickly. You wake up one day and suddenly instead of asking for a bottle they’re looking for the keys of the car. Instead of tucking them into bed you’re dragging them out of it to go to work.
So for the short period that’s in it, I reckon it’s best to just get on with the chasing and enjoy it. The extra pills, anti-inflammatories, cod-liver oil, morphine and physio will probably help me to get through it.