This offering to Heirloom Offerings :: The Grandma Project was contributed by Beckie Wood. Are you interested in sharing? Read our submission guidelines and get started.
When I was young and pregnant with my first baby (unmarried) it was a “big deal”. The whole family had to quickly transform from shock and shame to joy and excitement. I was most scared that my Gramma would be very upset with the situation. My dad’s sister was appointed to share the news with Gramma. She told her, “Beckie is having a baby and you need to love her and support her!”
My next encounter with Gramma was a day I will always remember. Without words, she gave me a little stuffed animal. We both started to cry. Then she proceeded to pull out a box of cloth diapers. Every Tuesday afternoon from that day forward, Gramma would stop by with cloth diapers, baby clothes and more.
She taught me, that I should always know which day of the week the MCC thrift store puts out their new stock and to go the next day before it opens so that you can find the “good stuff”. More importantly she taught me the beauty of grace!
Beckie Wood is a mother of four, friend to many, midwife, and loves to be in the fresh air!
{Kris}: I was fortunate enough to learn these things from Beckie who was an amazing friend and midwife for our two births. She helped us with breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth diapering, and also taught us to forego pricey baby products and instead use olive oil for almost everything. Mothering Magazine was a tremendous resource, but nothing like having someone right there with us. Thanks, Beckie!
Share your experiences with cloth diapering and/or grace in the comments…
This post was shared as a part of Thank Goodness It’s Monday at Nourishing Joy.
When i finally broke the news to my parents in England that i was 6 months pregnant here in Canada,and on my own, i moved back to England to start the new chapter of my life there. The news took a bit of time to sink in, but they were too accepting in their own way. When I came home from a long walk one day, i went to my bedroom to find 5 dozen terrycloth diapers folded neatly on my bed. They were from my dad, who proceeded to show me how to fold and pin them. He assured me they were worth the hard work in the money they would save me, and were better for the environment. I used them for all 5 of my children until they was nothing left but a small shred of fabric, and love my dad for teaching me an invaluable skill!
What a wonderful dad! And that is a lot of commitment on your part to use cloth through five children single-handedly. We used cloth for our first, and then slowly petered out part way through the second, as ours – which were hand-me-downs – fell apart as well. Thank you for taking time to share your story, Yvette!
My mama used cloth diapers on us and it seemed only natural to me to use them for my girls… plus she bought them for us 🙂
That is so great that your mom set that example for you – and to help you get established with a stash of cloth diapers! I think that initial cost can be a barrier to people choosing cloth, even though it is so much more affordable over the long term. Thanks for stopping by!