CLEVELAND — Expecting a new baby is exciting; not just for the parents, but for the entire family, including grandparents. The new role can bring on a new dynamic within the family and new personal boundaries.
Some grandparents plan on spoiling their grandkids, some will say they’ve “raised their kids” and not offer much advice. And on the flip side, some new parents will expect a lot of help from their own parents.
If you're not on the same page, it could cause drama. In today's Mom Squad, we talk with Relationship Coach Kathy Dawson about what conversations to have before the baby is even born.
“The parents have to think about, 'What's our comfort zone? Do we want our parents to watch an infant? Do we want our parents to feed our infant?' You have to almost make a list of questions and go through it,” Dawson said.
She says waiting until there’s an issue or someone’s feelings are hurt can be shocking.
“So you make a list of things ahead of time you imagine you'd be uncomfortable with, you can even preface it with: ‘Listen mom and dad, we're first time parents so we're being really careful. We know you raised kids.' But that kind of greases the skids for that conversation," Dawson said.
And no matter how much you prepare, there are always issues that pop up within families. Dawson has a lot of advice on how to navigate those very personal conversations.
You can catch her advice on WKYC-plus which you can find on Roku and Fire TV. Or if you don't have those you can watch on your WKYC YouTube channel or in the player below.
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