When I saw this, written by Annie Korzen and published in the AARP Bulletin (May 2016), I alternated between chuckles and nodding in agreement. Because I like to keep my posts short, I’m dividing this up into a few, spread-out posts. If you’d like to see Part 1, go to https://smthingscount.com/2016/05/11/grandkids-then-and-now-pt-1/.
I’m a new grandmother [says Annie Korzen], but am I cot out for it? Look at how differently I raised my son from how he’s raising his.
TV — Then: All hail the world’s cheapest babysitter! Now: No screen time before age 2; you wanna rot his brain?!
Birthdays — Then: Eating candy apples. Now: Gift bags from Apple.
Babysitters — Then: You hired the teen next door, then prayed the house wouldn’t reek of pot when you got home. Now: Vetted by Homeland Security, then tracked by nanny cam.
Boomerang kids — Then: “We changed the locks!” Now: Your college grad moves home while “looking for a job”–which suspiciously mimics playing video games.
[Watch for more, in Part 3. And, grandparents, just enjoy the kids!]