Mostly just gushing here, sorry! So my FIL is a very stoic, commanding man who rarely ever expresses emotion. I was kind of worried about what kind of grandad he’d be when my wife was expecting. My MIL is the sweetest lady and I had pretty much no doubts that she’d be a wonderful grandmother. But I definitely had some doubts about my FIL. He was a strict but loving parent with my wife and her siblings, with high expectations and standards for them academically. He’d brag about how great his kids were to anyone who’d listen, but would rarely ever compliment his kids to their faces. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a bad or unkind man at all, I simply worried that he might not want to have an infant dribbling on his suits and he might not really connect with my kid.Never have I been so wrong.My FIL has changed drastically since my son was born. He laughs when my son laughs, and has to leave the room whenever my son cries, despite our constant reassurances that he’s completely fine and just being a dramatic little shit. He cuddles my son all the time and always volunteers to feed him and change his diapers. He lays on the floor with him in very uncomfortable positions just to play with him and reads everything from Peter Rabbit and Paddington Bear to serious law textbooks aloud in funny voices to my son as they both sit in FIL’s favourite armchair. My son had a fever a month ago and my FIL was on the verge of tears listening to him cry. It’s like he’s softened since my son was born, and he’s more willing to crack a joke or a smile. Last week, we were visiting my in-laws’ house, and he laid on the floor with my son most of the time, listening to him blabber and giving serious answers with a straight face. It was the most adorable thing I have ever seen. He got out a very old, very expensive fountain pen of his, and put it into my son’s chubby fist. He then watched him wave it around and drool on it and blabber excitedly, and he smiled and laughed and clapped the entire time. He later told me that my son would be a great orator one day.I’m just incredibly relieved that he’s been completely the opposite kind of grandad that I’d been expecting. Sorry this is so long, I just had to share this somewhere! via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/32o1k4x
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