'How Are We Alive!?': Parents Are Getting Real About 'Gramnesia'

Parents are opening up about the reality of ‘gramnesia’ – a phenomenon coined online where some grandparents seemingly forget what it’s like to raise babies and young kids. In a Reddit thread that’s garnered thousands of comments, a parent asked: “How are we alive!? Our parents can’t parent!”Since having kids, they said they’ve realised neither set of grandparents “knows anything about children”.First up, they explained their mum didn’t know how to tell if a nappy had wee in it. They also claimed she gave their son “a large plastic bag and encouraged him to put it on his head”. Their dad, meanwhile, didn’t hold their son until he was over 12 months old. “I wouldn’t trust him to watch my son if my house was on fire and I needed to put it out,” added the parent.And their in-laws also appear to be struggling with remembering how to care for kids. “My mother-in-law was scared my son had hiccups, she didn’t know what it was or what to do! She keeps trying to change his diaper once an hour,” said the parent.“My father-in-law keeps giving my son piping hot food, despite me telling him to wait for it to cool off or blow on it or do anything but shove it in his mouth!”“I know they didn’t have the internet, but goddamn,” they continued. “The hardest part about raising children is babysitting your own parents. They act like them coming over is being helpful, it’s just more work and stress on me.”Needless to say, there were some other exasperated parents sharing their own wild stories in response to the post: “Once, when I told my MIL [mother-in-law] how hard it was to attend appointments or get anything done for myself with a velcro baby stuck to me 24/7, she told me to just leave baby home alone. ‘He’ll be safe in his crib. You’ll only be gone an hour or two. What could happen?’”Another said: “My MIL gave my 4m old coffee while hooked up to hospital monitors. It can always be worse.”“My 9 month old was refusing his formula, my dad said feed him ice cream (his argument is that it’s milk),” added another respondent.One offered: “My father in law once offered to drive my 9 month old home, after he and my MIL had her for the day. I pointed out that he didn’t have a car seat to drive her! Then he said ‘oh I’ll just put the portable high chair in the back seat and put the seatbelt through it’. What???!”Most people agreed that, over time, people simply forget how to look after young kids (I can certainly relate – after the birth of my second it was like I’d forgotten how to even hold a newborn).“It’s like they forget. My mother in law ran a daycare. But to see her try to do anything with a baby now? Forget about it,” said one commenter.“As for my own parents, it takes both of them to change a diaper and my stepmom always asks which way is the back and which is the front, even though the diaper has the word ‘front’ printed on it.” Even parents with older children said they’d already forgotten how to do half of the tasks required of looking after babies.One said: “I’ve got 4 kids. I’ve forgotten every milestone and whatnot. It was 9 years ago when my youngest was born. I have no clue how to take care of a baby lol (that’s hyperbole but..) I was also sleep deprived and overwhelmed.”So, it seems some patience is owed to our parents’ generation – but if they try and give your baby coffee, definitely have a word. Related...I'm A Grandma To 10 Kids – Here Are 4 Common Mistakes Grandparents MakeI Work With Grandparents Of Trans Kids. I'm Constantly Stunned By What I Hear Them Say.Here's What Grandparents Really Think About Today's Parenting Trends

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