My mother recently revealed a secret she uses to entice our young son to spend time effortlessly in her arms (and, subsequently, away from his parents). Part of the reason she plots for such assurances of holding her grandson is that she feels like she is a stranger to him. As I’ve said before my wife and I live near 1000 miles away from family. The distance between Grandson and Grandparents is a great distance only closed (partially) by video chat via the internet. My mother was tired of being “digital Grandma.”
She revealed her secret to me and I saw it in person when my wife and I traveled home for my a wedding. Our son took a leap into grandmothers arms and began to play with a prominent bauble of a necklace hanging around her neck. This “shiny” and “bright” necklace I was later told was her secret weapon. It is kind of like having a toy on your body to not only attract the attention of a baby but also to re-attract the baby’s attention should you sit down, stand up, or otherwise change body position or physical location.
I later found out that my father also employs a related trick of his own. My father consciously wears brightly colored shirts (specifically red shirts) to be more highly visible than others in the room and thus secure the attention of his grandson. While these tricks may be laughable, and their effectiveness may not stand the rigors of science, they certainly display a pre-planning centered around welcoming a family member home and ensuring they are able to hold him close for as long as possible until these Texans ride back off into the sunset. Our son is very much loved… and that’s a really good thing.