21 February 2008

The baby fix

We are the recipients of much baby-related beneficence, even from people who are pretty far removed from us. People give us diapers, clothes, afghans and quilts, lotions and potions, and enough toys to stock Solomon's nursery. I think I've bought baby shampoo once, and only because we were traveling and I forgot to pack any. I've hardly ever had to buy infant clothes. A few times I've given boxes full of brand new baby gear to crisis pregnancy centers because we could never use it all. The Lord will provide, indeed.

People are kind and thoughtful and generous. But I wonder if there's a little more to it than that. So often someone dropping off a gift will tell me what a good time they had shopping for it, and talk about how long it's been since they were in that section of the store, and warn me that they grow up too fast. Am I being too CSPP in suspecting that this may be, in part, a small-family related phenomenon? The grandparent generation had two or three kids, who each have two or three kids. That makes for a pretty brief baby era in a family's history. Once the youngest grandchild gets too big for cuddlin', how does a grandma get her fix? She finds her local crazy pastor's family and spoils those babies.

Regardless of the reason: consider the babies of the parsonage, how they grow. They sure as eggs is eggs don't toil, although they do spin. Golly if they don't have everything they need; take therefore no thought for the morrow.

7 comments:

Elephantschild said...

Am I being too CSPP in suspecting that this may be, in part, a small-family related phenomenon?

YES, YOU ARE, MY DEAR. And will all the gentleness I can possibly muster thru a comment box, please desist. Good grief. Baby clothes are cute: they're fun to shop for.

These people are doing the Lord's work, providing for your children. Is it so horrible that the Lord might grant them the small pleasure of enjoying the work they do for Him?

Dawn said...

I've actually wondered about this, too. Boxes upon boxes of clothes? How can so-and-so manage to give and give so well? Don't they have kids of their own?

Yes, but they're Done. And they share the bounty of their excess and outgrowns with us. We welcome it and how and even write thank you notes. Most of the time. Erk.

I like your bit about spinning. Do they ever.

Rebekah said...

EC, no, it's not horrible. I'm just sad for those people who were convinced on dubious grounds (usually money) they couldn't or shouldn't have more babies, and now don't have one of their own. It's more fun to shop for one you love than for one you just happen to know.

I'm probably also revealing my disinclination to this task. I don't have much native interest in babies, so it seems weird to me that other people do. Yet another example of their greater virtue.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad I have been invited to this blog! I have always viewed other mothers with awe and puzzlement. Not every woman is chosen for this task. You girls have my support and love and prayers! You are doing the Lord's work. Bless you again and again!

Marjorie Hall said...

Oh goodness, I think there is much truth to your musings, Rebekah. And yet, it cannot really be viewed as a rule. I love babies. I love shopping for babies. I have a big family and still love shopping for babies. But, I groan when a friend has a baby shower because I can barely afford to shop for my own babies much less someone else's. But someday, I'll be done; my little ones, the Lord willing, big and grown and gone...waaaaa. And then I will just go back to love shopping for other people's babies and spoiling them in ways I could never spoil my own!

Reb. Mary said...

Even speaking as a non-baby person :P, I can agree with EC and MH that it's fun to shop in the baby section. Mostly, the really fun stuff is the useless stuff--the teensey clothes they outgrow before they make it home from the hospital, the little rattle booties that they're not really intrested in and just kick off, etc. Oh well.

But--the wistful, nostalgic comments about "how fast they grow up" do seem to come mostly from those who are/were Done after 2. From those who had more, I hear happy memories, but more happily nostalgic than wistful--they're pretty busy keeping up with their kids' lives and enjoying the growing crop of grandkids.

Meanwhile, while the ones who were Done after a couple instruct me to "enjoy every minute, they grow so fast," I'm periodically freaking about the possiblity of having kids of an age with grandkids...

Dawn said...

Oh my, yes, I think about that. What if I'm pregnant alongside my eldest daughter . . . These nightmare visions always place me and girl1 in front of a fireplace, knitting booties, wearing weird "MOMMY" shirts from the seventies.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Oh dear. Oh dear. I need to go lie down.