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| Sunday, 18 January 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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On becoming a grandmother by Carol Aloysius My daughter-in-law became a mother for the first time on December 20, 2003. Her life since then has undergone a dramatic change. From being a high flying career woman whose main focus in life was her work in office, she has metamorphosed into a child-centred hands-on-mother whose sole interest in life is to perform her new role to perfection. Up all day and night, snatching only an hour or two to fall into an exhausted sleep in between nursing the baby, changing nappies and hushing the little one to sleep, she has overnight lost interest in all those carefree leisure time activities she once loved to engage in. Today, she no longer finds time to maintain her once slim figure with a rigid workout schedule, or immerse herself in a warm relaxing scented bath, or watch her favourite television program the Bold and the Beautiful. Instead of eating her meals leisurely, tasting each different dish separately, meal time has now become a hurried affair usually squeezed in between a brief nap by her offspring. Those long cosy chats we had together are now a thing of the past, and the only conversation she has with her husband these days is 'baby talk'. Life has also changed dramatically for my son, the baby's father. From being the carefree, fun loving young man he was until the time of the birth of his son, he too has become a hands-on-parent, willingly breaking rest and the sleep he so cherishes, to help his wife to change the baby's nappies, or carry the baby and burp him after a feed. I am truly amazed and proud to see my `little boy' as I still regard him, grow up so fast and act so responsibly after becoming a father. As for me, his first time grandmother, need I say that the birth of my little grandson has brought new meaning to my life. Like his parents, I too see him as a symbol of hope of a new future. Born at Christmas time (on my birthday incidentally) we already share a special bond. As a writer and voracious reader, I dream of the day when I can share with him those delightful mysteries of science fiction his late grandfather Hubert so loved, and traverse the strange unknown worlds beyond this universe. With him, I shall once again wander into the wondrous Never Never land of Peter Pan, the magical world of Alice in Wonderland and have a close encounter with the elves and fairies who peopled the world of Enid Blyton, my favourite childhood author. I long for the day when he and I, will be able to unlock the door to Ali Baba's magical treasure trove. I already envision escorting him on a thrilling tour around the world on a flying carpet straight out of the Arabian Nights stories. I have already set aside a cupboard stocked with books for my grandchild. It contains several well-known children's classics which once belonged to his father. I hope and pray that he too will have a love for reading like his father, his grandmother and his grandfather. Lying cheek by jowl with these books are some toys of yester-year which somehow survived the clumsy handling by little hands over the years. One of them is of Pop-Eye the sailor man, a favourite children's cartoon character of bygone years with a pipe in his mouth which lights up when wound. Another is of Santa Claus whose red cap nods and jingles as he walks upto you, with a Ho, Ho, Ho. It is a small miracle that these toys which were so beloved by my late husband and my two sons are still intact and good enough to see another generation of children in our family in their life time!. As for my sister Aprille, (my son and daughter-in-law's `second mother'), she's over the moon with her little grand nephew on whom she continues to lavish generous doses of affection and is already visualising the day he will call her 'nana'. It is only two weeks since my grandson has entered our world. But to us each day of his life has been a journey of discovery and unexpected surprises. It seems that he has inherited something of each of us in his family. As he kicks his long legs and digs his pink toes into his mother's tummy, I'm reminded of his father who did the same thing 29 years ago. His intent gaze reminds me of his uncle Jehan and his nose is the exact replica of his late grandfather Hubert. His chin and smile are definitely his mother's and his eyes are like his maternal grandfather's. Before long this infant will be able to sit up on his own, to recognise the faces around him and to identify sounds and colours. Then he will be able to enjoy the majestic beauty of the flowers growing outside his room,and know the difference between a bird's chirping and the sound of squirrels playing on the tree overhanging his window. Soon he will be able to point out the colours of nature and tell me what colours make up the rainbow. In a few years time, he will be able to count, to read, to make his own independent decisions and have his own circle of close friends once he goes to school. Two decades from now he will become a man, then a father, and finally a grandparent. And this cycle of life will continue with the next generation after him.... As we ushered in the new year with a burst of crackers and fireworks ten days after his birth, I made a wish for him. I wished that he would be able to ride the storms of life bravely, to face the many obstacles that come his way with optimism and confidence. Most of all, I wished that he would be able to carve a niche for himself as a Peace messenger in this land that is divided by ethnic differences, and torn by violence and bloodshed. As he get older, I hope and pray that this Citizen of Tomorrow will be able to grow up in a land that is peaceful; where all races and religions enjoy a harmonious relationship. Only then will he be able, like his counterparts throughout this land, to enjoy the Rights of his childhood to the fullest. |
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