Life
I think I was almost as excited for my parents to become grandparents as I was to become a parent. Through several years of infertility, I dreamed about the day I could actually make the phone and tell my mom and dad they were going to be grandparents. Of course, I had known for a long time that they were going to be everything my daughter and son need, but if you're not sure about your own parents, you can look for the signs your parents are going to make the best grandparents ever. Those signs were spot on so they didn't let me down, and I know they won't let you down, either.
In the end, my little sister was able to make that dramatic, exciting phone call first. But in a surprise that only adoption can provide, my daughter made them grandparents again and in a very different way. It's funny, though, because I can't remember the conversation we had when we told them they were already grandparents. Everything was so surreal, compounded by the fact that my partner and I met our daughter a mere six hours after we were told she existed. I became a mother in record time, and as a result my parens became grandparents again without so much as a warning.
I knew for a long time that my parents would make wonderful grandparents, in part because they were so excited and ready to watch their own baby have a baby. While my partner and I were waiting to become parents, it was nice to have people alongside us who were equally excited about the upcoming change. So with that in mind, here's a few signs that your own parents are going to be the grandparents your little one needs:
Your Mom Knits Everyone Else's Babies Sweaters
For years, this was my mom. Every time a friend has a baby, she whips up an adorable sweater and sends it on its way, often unbeknownst to me. She's had lots of practice when it comes to making my kids' wardrobes.
They Play With Your Friends' Kids
A friend of mine had kids almost a decade before I did, and she would bring them to my parents' house when I was home visiting. My dad loved playing the piano with her son and traipsing around the house looking for secret hiding places.
They Have A Stash Of Your Old Toys In The Attic
Or, in the case of my parents, in the barn. This summer, they pulled out not only my tricycle from when I was my daughter's age, but the sandbox that my own grandfather had made me when I was a toddler.
They Still Use Made-Up Words From Your Childhood
It may annoy me to no end, but my kids sure love my parents' weird made-up words and songs.
They Add Another Bathroom "For The Grandkids"
I grew up in a one-bathroom house, and my siblings and I never thought it was particularly terrible or difficult. But when my parents realized there were going to be husbands and wives and grandkids on the scene, they decided to take an extreme measure to ensure everyone would stay at their house as often as possible: renovation. They renovated one bathroom and built another, just so everyone visiting would be comfortable.
They Wait Until You're Ready For Visitors
Even if all they want to do is hop on a flight the minute they get the news that they're officially grandparents, the kind of supportive parents every postpartum new-mom needs is the kind that waits to visit. Grandparents with a tiny bit of self-control are great grandparents.
They Already Have A "Grandkid" Stool
My husband's parents have a few things around the house that were designated for "future grandchildren," and those things have been around for a while. For example, they had a step stool that would allow their future grandchildren to help bake cookies, and a box of toys their future grandchildren could eventually play with.
They Share Your Pain
My partner and I went through five years of infertility testing and difficult deliberations as to what to do, before deciding to adopt. Both my parents cried with us when we hit bumps in the road toward parenthood; bumps that broke our hearts. We knew their hearts were aching for what ours ached for as well, and I knew that when we did finally become parents, their hearts would swell with joy. Just like ours.
Check out Romper's new video series, Romper's Doula Diaries:
