Grandpa

"I can babysit," my dad said.

April stopped reading the paper and looked up at me. I glanced from her to my mom who was standing in front of the open refrigerator, milk in hand, staring at the two of us. We all looked back at dad.

"You'd have to change her diaper" April said.

Dad guffawed and looked at mom.

See, my dad doesn't do diapers. I ask him all the time (just for fun) if he'll change Alleke's diaper, and he never does it. He just laughs and shakes his head.

My dad is a good grandpa. He spends lots of time with his grandchildren, and he loves them.

But my dad is not a mechanic. When a little one spits up or smells funny or begins to cry, dad hands baby off to grandma for a tune up.

Until today, that is.

"I can change a diaper," Dad said, shrugging his shoulders.

I smiled.

I smiled because he was willing to try, and I smiled because he didn't know how.

"Let me show you how to change a diaper," I said to my dad.

I took Alleke, and my dad followed me downstairs. I showed him how to change a diaper, then gave him a few tips on how to put Alleke to sleep for her evening nap. We went back upstairs, and April gave him a crash course on feeding Alleke from a bottle.

I told dad we had the cell phone if he needed us for anything. We kissed Alleke goodbye and left.

I was still smiling when we pulled out of the evergreen trees onto the gravel road and headed for town.

I wasn't sure how long my dad would last with Alleke, but I had to let him try.

I used to think moms had super powers. I even thought April had super powers at first. I thought maybe she was engineered to take care of kids better than I was.

I've changed my mind, though. I don't think you need super powers to take care of a kid. You just have to be willing to do it, and you have to pay attention.

I didn't know much about Alleke when she was born. I didn't know how to hold her, what clothes to put on her, when or how to feed her, or even how to change her diaper.

I wanted her to stay alive, though, so I watched April closely and I asked lots of questions. I read books. I watched others. I called my sister. I searched the Internet.

We've developed so much material about Alleke over the last five months, I could write a User's Manual--one with lots of pages and diagrams and fine print. No hokus pokus. Just how things work. Cause and effect.

For example, when Alleke arches her back, it means she's hungry. When she rubs her eyes, she's tired. If she shivers, it probably means she has a wet diaper. And if you sit her up and help her focus on something in front of her (like a rattle), she can sit up by herself for almost ten minutes.

My dad doesn't know most of this, but neither did I when I first met Alleke. Every one of us has to start at the beginning at some point.

There are others who are more qualified (in the mechanics) to take care of Alleke than my dad, but if he was willing, I was going to let him try.

Posted with permission from Spain Dad