Today my first grandchild Wow Dinga graduated from Grade 5 and has moved up to the Big School. It’s hard to believe he is a big boy. It is hard to believe that he comes up to my eye brows and perhaps at the end of summer he’ll become taller than me. Of course my height is a pretty low bar to cross but nonetheless when a grandchild outstrips the grandma, it is time to put away the kid gloves. Time to do away with baby talk. Time to stop the mollycoddling.

I remember waiting anxiously outside the Operating Theatre as he was making his entry into the world. We were the only people in the hospital yet as soon as he came out, his other granny and I kept strict watch on him as we didn’t want him to be mixed up with another child….. That does happen in hospitals.

He came home with his new mom and new dad to a new crib and a new grandma. For me it was really strange because I had no experience of bringing up a boy. To make matters even more difficult – his paternal grandparents and parents were doctors – which made caring for him more challenging. After all they knew everything about human physiology while my knowledge of childrearing was restricted to bringing up my two girls.

But I bungled through with his baby baths, his cloth nappies ( no disposable diapers for our little prince) his late night feeds, his pacifier, his funny wormlike crawl, his baby steps, his baby babble.

When he went to his first nursery,, he was the only kid who didn’t howl. But I was scared when the doors shut and we were left to imagine what was happening inside. But he settled down as did all the other wailing babies and I was pleased that he already knew all the song. He strung the beads, painted blobs, made clay models and graduated a happy and confident little fellow.

By the time he went to big school, he was already moving away, setting down in his new home with his new baby brother ( Little Po).

Yet from time to time, I went to school to watch him perform. He was a little shyer now, a bit self conscious and I missed his impromptu performances as a toddler where he would sing out full throated renditions of Andrea Bocelli.

His viewing preferences changed from Blippi, to Paw Patrol and Wild Kratts and Supa Strikas. His toys changed from pots and pans to delivery cartons to playing football and collecting cards of Match Attax.

He became a champion swimmer after months of screaming in the pool. It took a while to get him off his beloved pacifier.

He will no longer meet Ms. Papaya and Little Po during the school breaks between class. I won’t have to send an extra Brownie for him because he will be in a different school.

And it won’t be long before he graduates from this big school too!

Ciao,