Life
On the list of things I was worried about when I held my baby, introducing my child to my parents was towards the bottom. In fact, I didn't really think about it until mom and dad were about to walk through the door. In that moment, though, the gravity of the situation hit me and I was so nervous for them to meet their first grandchild. Suddenly I felt all this pressure, which is definitely why I had more than a few terrifying thoughts when I introduced my baby to my parents. Yes, a thought or two had to do with my child's bodily functions. Hey, poop happens, I just didn't want the moment "ruined" if poop happened all over the glowing grandmother and grandfather.
I didn't get to introduce my parents to my baby in the hospital when she was just hours old, like most of my friends did. Instead, because my partner and I adopted our daughter, I got to introduce my parents to my baby by surprise via Skype after my partner and I had met her when she was just 3-days-old. I honestly can't remember what we said to my parents that night, but we were told our daughter existed no more than six hours prior so it's safe to say we were in shock just as much (read: more) than my parents were.
When my parents finally got to meet my daughter in person, she was almost 4-weeks-old and it couldn't have been a more surreal experience. I had dreamed of that moment for many years, so it was incredible to realize that it was finally coming true. It was also kind of strange that, in the middle of that touching moment, all I could focus on was my daughter's diaper and whether or not it was clean. Tell me I'm not the only one, will you?
"OMG My Baby Is Going To Poop All Over Them"
The "grandparents meeting their grandchild for the first time" vibe definitely would have been ruined if everyone ended up covered in poop, right? It's funny, though; my daughter never once had a blowout during her first year of life. In other words, it was a pretty ridiculous fear to have when she met her grandparents. Plus, they loved her so damn much the moment they saw her, poop wouldn't have ruined a thing.
"My Baby Will Cry The Entire Time"
I'm not one to worry about a baby crying, generally, but there's something about your parents meeting your baby that makes you want everything to go just perfectly. I wanted her to be calm and peaceful when they first met, not shuffled back to me to settle her down because she wouldn't stop screaming.
"My Parents Won't Cry At All"
My family are criers, so there's no doubt I would have taken it personally if my parents didn't cry when they met their grandchild for the very first time.
(They did cry, though, as did my husband and myself. In fact, the only person who didn't cry was my newborn daughter.)
"My Baby Will Hate My Parents"
OK, so she was a 4-week-old human, so it's not like she knew what was going on enough to have any serious feelings about the entire situation. Still, I wanted her to "take to them," so-to-speak, and I would have felt for my parents if my baby started crying the moment they held her.
"My Parents Won't Love Her As Much As I Do"
You guys, they're grandparents. This fear was completely ridiculous, because of course they were going to love my daughter the moment they met her. In fact, they haven't stopped gushing about her to anyone who will listen since they met her, and she's almost 2-years-old now.
"My Parents Will Notice Something Is Wrong That I, Somehow, Overlooked"
What if my mom noticed something was wrong with our perfect daughter? Something I overlooked, or something the nurses and doctors somehow missed? After all, she has been a mom a lot longer than I have.
It was really hard for me to not fear for my daughter's health, the way every new mother does, and this fear manifested into this one specific, terrifying thought. Turns out, my daughter was perfectly healthy and my mother was quick to confirm.
"My Parents Will Think I'm A Terrible Mom"
What if they think I'm doing everything wrong? What if they think I'm not capable? What if they don't like how I've chosen to parent or feel offended when I don't do something they way they did?
As a new mom, I quickly realized that I wanted my parents' approval. In fact, I still do.
