A Tribute To Russian Grandmas

They love their kids and grandkids and are fiercely devoted to raising both to be very well-fed, over-achievers.

Here are some of my favorite parenting wisdoms from Russian grandmas (please note: Russian grandpas are extremely fond of fishing and drinking).

1. You may be raising twice the amount of kids I raised, but I am still the expert on parenting and hence will dispense unsolicited advice constantly and with no restraint.

2. There's no such thing as 'too much' when it comes to feeding a child.

3. Bread is a food staple and must be eaten with everything.

4. If your child is not potty trained by age 1, you are a negligent parent.

5. If your child can't count to ten by age 1, he must be retarded.

6. If your child doesn't know the alphabet by age 2, he must be retarded.

7. You must rub your child down with vinegar to bring down a fever (please don't try this at home)

8. Your child will grow up sickly if you don't douse him with icy water every morning.

9. If your child is not wearing a hat in the winter, he will freeze off his brains.

10. If your child is not wearing a sunhat in the summer, he will get heat-stroke.

11. Tights are a must in all seasons for both girls and boys!

12. If your child did not grow up to be a Doctor, you failed as a parent.

Please excuse any offensive content in this post. I had to be true to Russian grandmas and if you've ever met one, you'd know that they are anything but politically correct.

A Mother's Incoherent Ramblings

My firstborn turned 13 last week! She's now officially a teenager and I'm panicking. Where did the time go? I still vividly remember the day she was born. Was that really 13 years ago?

We definitely have all the symptoms of teenagehood around here:

• Butting heads - CHECK!
• Trying very hard to fit in - CHECK!
• Wanting to stand out from the crowd at the same time - CHECK!
• Doesn't believe parents know best - CHECK!
• Spends hours on the phone - CHECK!
• Nightly pimple cream application - CHECK!

It feels as if just yesterday she was a sweet happy-go-lucky pre-schooler with chubby cheeks, huge eyes and a sense of wonder. Now she's a moody young lady who expects to be treated as an adult. I know this is a normal part of growing up, and a mother's job is to try and let go a little, but my heart is breaking because right about now, it hit me that she won't be mine forever. Though I knew the day she would fly out of the nest would have to come eventually, nothing in my parenting journey really prepared me for coping with just how fast that day is approaching. Tick, tick tick, every minute brings us closer to the eminent.

When your child is little, you want to protect them from all calamities of the world. You believe, that if only you hold them tightly in your arms, nothing bad can touch them. You dote on your babies and you kiss their little cheeks. It doesn't enter your mind that there will come a day when your child will no longer want your protection.

Back when doll-houses were not passe 

On the other hand, just last week, my daughter did skip with me outside in broad daylight, while singing "we're off to see the wizard...". Sure, she did it just to embarrass her brother, but even so, maybe not all is lost yet.

I have lots of hopes for you, my love, and one of them is that you remain a child just a little longer. Not for my sake, but because life will catch up with you faster than you realize and this is the only childhood you'll ever have. Enjoy what's left of it!

{ This Moment }

My baby girl is snoozing in my arms.
She's not in deep sleep, placing her down will mean she'll immediately wake up.
I put aside all my "to dos" and sit here holding her.
I watch her little face and listen to her breathing.
I inhale her sweet baby scent.
Her eyelashes are fluttering.
Her delicate face expresses pure contentment.
I stroke her hand lightly.
Her skin is so unbelievably silky.
I think about how blessed I am to be a mother, how nothing else that I do comes close to the awesomeness of motherhood.

These moments are so precious, yet so fleeting.
It seems only yesterday I was holding my baby boy like this, now a rambunctious toddler.
How I wish I can freeze this moment in time...

Denmark vs US Parenting

Recently, I read a post What’s Different in Denmark by Suzanne Price and found it very interesting, especially because there are a lot of similarities between what the Danish do with their babies and what my parents did with me in Russia. It seems that in many European countries parents hold by the philosophy that it's good for babies to sleep outside in any weather. Not only because they sleep better in the fresh air, but also because there are numerous health benefits to spending as much time outdoors as possible. Fresh air strengthens the immune system. Oxygen fights bacteria, viruses and pathogens, and so, in theory, the more oxygenated your body is, the healthier and more vigorous you will be. Of course, where I live in NY, the outdoor air is not exactly top quality, putting it mildly, but I've heard that even polluted outdoor air is still better than indoor air. 

Going back to what Suzanne Price retold in her article from her Danish friends, it's so beautiful and amazing that where they live it's completely safe to leave a sleeping child in the stroller outside of a store or restaurant. It sounds like a completely different world. What a pity that parents can't have that level of security in most places in US. My mother-in-law told me that when my husband was an infant, she would leave him in a carriage outside of a store, and if he woke up and cried, any passerby would stop and rock the carriage.Can you imagine? 

Check out the original What’s Different in Denmark post.