Letter To My Grandson

Musings

Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash

During the last ultrasound, we could see your body move, and it looked like you were sucking your thumb. You looked content, safe, and comfortable in the warm, quiet fluid you were sloshing in.

In just a few months, you will enter this world, a brand-new human being. You will not be aware that you are joining more than eight billion others; only one person will be important to you right then, your mother, my daughter.

She wonders what kind of world you will be born into. We talked about setting up a 529 plan for you as I did for your mom, but will you go to college? Both of your parents have advanced degrees, but how many careers will AI replace before you even graduate high school?

Paradigm shifts are not unusual, but how many of them are shifting underneath us right now?

When I had my daughter, your mom, I had one ultrasound. Her birth was natural, with a nurse midwife and without any drugs that could impact her. Times have changed. You have been looked at and inspected (three ultrasounds so far), measured, and have undergone genetic testing. The message I didn’t expect so soon came suddenly, “It’s a boy.”

We will go shopping for you soon, your mom and I, your grandma. You will begin your journey as an American consumer. Babies need so much, clothing, furniture, diapers, and toys. “What is the budget?” she asks. I am a proud grandma and say, “Choose whatever you want, my daughter.” Of course, there will also be the obligatory Amazon registry.

My father is excited. At age 90, he will be a great-grandpa. “Finally!” he says. He was 25 when I was born. I was 30 when my daughter entered this world. My daughter will be 35. It’s a sign of the times.

Babies come later now and often not at all. The number of women who will never have a child continues to rise. You are lucky that you have that chance to add your soul to the universe. You are lucky that you are so wanted and that you have so many people excited to meet you.

I cannot promise you that your life will always be pleasant and stress free. I can’t foresee what kind of job market you will find yourself in decades from now. I can promise, however, that I will support you with whatever you need.