Grandparents pull off their first triple-duty overnighter
As we’ve witnessed our oldest daughter’s family grow from two children to three, Kristin and I have often asked ourselves how in the world we ever got anything done once we had three kids of our own. I mean one was gravy, and two were more or less double gravy. But three? Three changes everything!
I know, I know, there are readers out there saying, “Three’s nothing. Try having four or five. Then you’re talking some real chaos!”
Trust me, as the youngest of eight children, I know there are virtually no limits to the amount of craziness people can choose to heap upon themselves. I still marvel over my own parents’ ability to get the job done. That I survived to adulthood as the runt of the litter is a tribute to them both. Have I ever pondered having eight children of my own? Not a chance.
It would appear Charlotte and Andrew have topped out at this new plateau, and as actively involved grandparents, Kristin and I are perfectly fine with that. Having raised three kids of our own, it still strikes us as a manageable number. That being said, we aren’t necessarily the high-energy baby chasers we once were.
We had our first round of triple-sitting all the grandkids just last weekend on an overnighter that began with picking the kids up from daycare. At 4 years, 2 years and 4 months, merely shuttling the kids out the door and across the parking lot to the car was an exercise in crowd control. James, the oldest, knows what to do and typically does it. Max, the classic middle child, knows what to do and typically does the opposite, and Sadie, the baby, just smiles and settles in for the ride.
Of the many magnificent advancements in child-rearing technology over the past 30 years, improvements to the automobile child safety seat rank among my favorites. The endless struggle over buckles, straps and gadgets just to get the seat into the car in the first place has been replaced by a simple three-point anchor for the toddlers. Sure, you’ve still got the struggle of actually getting the kids to sit down in the first place, but bribery goes an awfully long way.
As for the baby, the greatest minds of the new millennium have invented a safely seat that transforms into a stroller when removed from the car and then morphs back into a seat upon your return from the grocery. It then snaps right back into place in the car. No more frantic fussing over snaps and straps while leaning in the open car door as rain soaks through the back of your jacket. It’s as simple as pressing a button … just as long as you actually know where that button is!
Be sure to tune in next week as a bona fide Boomer struggles to master the art of button pushing in the 21st century.
Kristin and John Lorson would love to hear from you. Write Drawing Laughter, P.O. Box 170, Fredericksburg, OH 44627, or email John at jlorson@alonovus.com.