With the recent demise of Toys R Us and Babies R Us, no big box stores are dedicated to separating smitten grandparents from their wallets. I stayed away from the toy store, but enjoyed an occasional stroll through Babies R Us, keeping up with the newest inventions for taking care of little ones. “What will they think of next?” was a common expression as I admired the wraps for cradling an infant, pillows for various sitting and sleeping positions, and the wide assortment of feeding systems (a far cry from my mother sterilizing glass bottles at the kitchen stove).
My firstborn wasn’t a very good sleeper, probably because I didn’t have the Mumbelli, a combination bassinet, infant bed and co-sleeper that “adjusts perfectly to your baby’s size providing them with warmth and comfort as when they were in their mom’s belly.” Or maybe he needed Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit, or Love to Dream Swaddle Up, weighted garments designed for improving sleep in infants too big to swaddle. Somehow, I don’t think it would have made a difference.
One of my shopping finds for the delightful and determined Elizabeth Holiday anticipated the challenge of potty-training with the purchase of a potty-chair that played music when her task was accomplished. The experts suggested the potty-chair be placed in the bathroom so the child could become familiar with its presence even before she was fully ready to utilize it, and it didn’t take long for Elizabeth to discover the sensor that played the music. So much for that idea.
I’ve recently had our granddaughters three days a week, so am playing a role in the potty-training challenge of the summer of 2018. The M&M bribes haven’t worked too well, nor has the promise of wearing big girl panties with images from the Coco movie, so with nursery school starting in two weeks, the pressure is on. One of my young Facebook friends posted photos with her “dry-all-day” report on day #3, and I’ll admit to being a tad resentful.
Perhaps I need to show our Lizzie the video that helped my friend’s daughter, even though we do sing a song that her dad made up for use with her big sister. Or maybe I need to head to Wal-Mart to buy PottyTime’s Potty Watch, the toilet training timer that promises to make potty time “fun and easy.” Available in pink, blue, or green, it’s set so music and lights alert the child to remember to go to the potty as frequently as he or she needs. I wonder if it synchronizes with their tablet to keep a record of success? A potty-training Fit Bit! What will they think of next?
You might guess I’m feeling a bit of a failure in the grandmother role today. Not only has the potty train express derailed, but yesterday, I dozed off while sitting on the couch with Elizabeth, and she made a post with devil faces to my Facebook story. Glad it wasn’t poop emojis. I’m fearing a pink slip in my future if I don’t shape up.
As real as the challenge feels today, she’ll get it sooner or later, and what looks like stubbornness at age three will serve her well as she grows into a determined and delightful young woman. Yet as I’m writing, I’m thinking of mothers who, because of an accident of birth, will change the diapers of their children into adulthood, of refugee moms who have no way of keeping their children clean, of incarcerated mothers who haven’t touched their babies in months, or of mothers who don’t know where their children are. Grandmother friends are estranged from their families or thousands of miles away, and I’m whining about buying more pull-ups?
Eleanor Porter’s Pollyanna observed life through a prism of empathy, and Mr. Pendleton sobbed at her vision: “You know, Miss Pollyanna, I think the greatest, most wonderful prism of them all is you.” Sterling K. Brown shares a similar view: “Empathy begins with understanding life from another person’s perspective. Nobody has an objective experience of reality. It’s all through our own individual prisms.” Thanks for holding up that prism of empathy for me today, Elizabeth Holiday.
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