Patter

Today

Yesterday we met my sister-in-law in Tesco, busy buying baby necessities for her daughter. My niece is fast approaching the time when her second baby will be born. Pregnancy hasn't been an easy experience for her, but that doesn't seem to dim her joy.

In fact, this is a fecund season for the family, with three more babies due this year.  My only regret is that the dilution down the generations and geographic distance mean that I don't see as much of my great-nieces and nephews as I'd like. I try not to forget them, however, and make cards and little gifts to send them.

All the grandparents are very much involved with the day-to-day lives of these babies; much more so than when I had my children.

In My Day

Daddy actually had 21 grandchildren if you count the child from Keir's first marriage and those born after he died; if you exclude those he still had fourteen. The age range covers thirty-three years, a whole generation in itself. Daddy was immensely proud of them. When David and Chris both had two children and I still had one he told me to buck up or I'd lose my place in the race. "It's not a competition, Daddy," I said "I'll do this when I'm good and ready."

What I'm not so sure about is how close he felt to these grandchildren. He was very happy to sit surrounded by small people when we went to Dorking to celebrate birthdays, like a familial Buddha, but I don't remember him playing with or talking to them much. Mamma was more likely to get intimately involved, knitting jumpers for the children, cooking with them and telling stories. Certainly Lizzie always felt close to her Grandma and, I think, still misses her.

On the other hand I do remember how Daddy interacted with three month-old Becky when I was caring for him in Dorking while Mamma was in hospital. He talked to her, stimulating her to her first forays into verbal communication and holding her tightly on his lap while I tried to manoeuvre his wheelchair around the hospital corridors, attracting many "oohs" & "aahs!" from passing folk.

Paul and I were discussing quantum theory this morning and the possibility of multiverses. "In another one I might be surrounded by ten grandchildren," he said. "And, who knows, you might hate it!" I replied. I don't think so.