I’m apparently one of those grandmothers who will give their grandchildren anything they 
want. I was not this way with my two daughters — as they’ll happily tell you — but something’s happened in the intervening 20 years or so and I’ve been reduced to a “Whatever you want, sweetiepie” maternal spoiling-machine. But my grandson’s so cute! He’s adorable! How could I resist those sparkling blue eyes, that precious little curl of soft wispy hair at the back of his head and those darling pudgy little fingers? So when it turned out that one of his favorite things was my cell phone, I turned it over to him without a thought. He loved the beeps and chirps. He was delighted with the lights and the colors. It was our thing: He wanted it, so I gave it to him. Other, wiser people were cautious, however. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” my daughter — his mommy — asked me. “Are you sure you want to do that?” Of course, I assured her. I’m a cool grandma. It’s fine. Until, that is, it wasn’t. Turns out baby slobber has supersonic powers to short out cell-phone speakers. Who knew? Now you do. Read more about it in my column, http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090306/ARTICLES/903065003.
Babies and Cell Phones
5
He crawls. He stands. He eats crunchy things all by himself. He wears 12-18 months clothes. He laughs at silly things. He laughs at not silly things. He turns pages. He points for more. He bites. He smiles at the phone. He chases the cats. He opens drawers. He climbs up stairs. He pushes buttons. He turns dials. He crashed into my lap to sit. He wraps his arms around my neck.
interact. I do more than just change him and feed him and burp him. I tell him “no.” I cuddle him when he’s sick. I limit TV time. I make choices about the food he eats. I point to pictures and tell him they have words to match. I hold out my arms for him to reach for. I let him cry. I try not reward pouting or fits … not that a 9-month-old has many. I make him interact with other children. I make him stick to his nap times.
Coffee with Cathy 