Techno wizardry leaves me a bit uneasy

“We're born, we live for a brief instant, and we die. It's been happening for a long time. Technology is not changing it much — if at all.” ― Steve Jobs

Well, not to argue with the father of the iPhone, but technology makes a huge difference in my household. From the bottle warmer to the quick microwavable toddle meals to the books with sounds, technology has allowed me to open up endless possibilities for my son.

But with great power comes great responsibility, and that means monitoring that iPhone pretty closely when you have a toddler running around.

This past week, I was sitting with my son on the couch. He slyly pulled my phone into his hands, thinking he was really getting away with something. I smiled, thinking how cute he was, secure in the knowledge that he couldn’t do much harm.

I raised an eyebrow as he flipped the phone on its side. My mouth fell agape when he selected the correct button to light up the smartphone’s display screen. Then I watched in disbelief when he opened and clenched his hand over the phone until his fingers hit the screen just right to unlock the device for use.

How in the world did my 20-month-old learn how to operate a computer?

Part of what separates the babies from the grownups is that adults (in theory) know the ways of the world. Babies depend on us for certain things — food, clothing, stinky diaper disposal — and the adults are expected to provide.

It’s a little unsettling, however, when a child flirts with knowing more than you do. My son hasn’t even started forming sentences yet, and he knows how to take “selfies” with the camera on a cellphone. And just in case you thought this was a fluke, he learned how to unlock my husband’s cellphone, too, using an entirely different unlock mechanism.

Suddenly I don’t feel so secure in my technological superiority, and I’m wondering what else this kid can figure out. For now, the laptop is getting put on a higher shelf, the batteries are coming out of the DVR remote and I’m calling Apple to see if there’s a minimum age for new interns.

— Sarah Leach is editor at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at (616) 546-4278 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.

I’m wishing for another round

Humans are funny in that they can never appreciate what the have — we always want more.

Case in point, I have a husband who finally took a job that keep him home, a job I can’t help but love and a 20-month-old who has me wrapped around his finger.

And yet I want more.

We have been trying to have another baby, but the ease we were blessed with the first time around has not graced us again. In fact, it’s getting pretty frustrating.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “You’ve only been trying for a few months, these things take time, you’re still young, yada, yada, yada.”

We’ve been trying for six months and the minutes that are ticking down to my impending 36^th birthday are like war drums. I keep thinking that any minute, God will bless us again, but it looks like that’s not the plan for the immediate.

The doctor says I need to be patient, but that, “given my age,” we’ll take things to the next step if we’re not pregnant by the end of the year. But every month feels like an eternity.

So now, I am hoping and praying I have a little luck left.

Family ties grow stronger with burial

My husband finally met my mother this weekend.

It was short and sweet, and she didn’t say a word, but it meant the world to him.

In 1993, my mother died of liver cancer. She was 40 years old, a single mother, and I was her only child. There are many predictably soul-crushing aspects to this unfortunate life statistic, but I daresay I’m happy with my life.

I met a great guy, who for some reason beyond my comprehension, professed his undying devotion to me and asked for my hand in marriage. We had a zoo of pets that we poured our love into, and when we thought we were ready for a two-legged baby, the good Lord blessed us with a feisty son.

But there was something always bugging my husband.

“When are you going to take me to see your mother’s grave?”

It wasn’t the first time he had asked. In fact, he’s brought it up a few times during our six years together.

My mother is buried in Macomb County, where I grew up. And, even though I have only gone to the cemetery about a dozen times since her burial, I know exactly where the plot is. She is in a beautiful spot, near a large shade tree.

And now, my grandmother is finally with her. We traveled home to finally lay my grandmother to rest and bury her ashes next to her husband and daughter. It was a relief to know that she was at peace with those most precious to her, and it was cathartic to finally show my husband — and son — what was my most hallowed ground.

It was temperate day, with storm clouds threatening. The process was brief — almost anticlimactic — and then it was over. As I stood there, my husband took my son’s little hand and led him over to my mother’s grave.

“Ben,” he said, “this is your grandma. Can you say hello?”

Ben looked down at the gravestone I selected for my mother all those years ago and just stood silent, and I saw my husband grieve for a woman he never met.

Now that’s love, pure and simple, and I know my mother was pleased to finally make their acquaintance.

— Sarah Leach is the editor of The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at (616) 546-4278 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.

Graduation day makes me wistful

It’s tough to believe that this day has finally come.

My baby is graduating, and I couldn’t be more proud.

He worked really hard on all of his assignments, and his teachers said he always displayed a natural curiosity and precociousness rarely seen for his age.

I worked with his teachers every chance I got in order to have a good relationship with them. I attended every school open house, bought extra school supplies, brought in items from home to help him through his day.

My husband and I worked through work schedules, doctor’s appointments, travel, holiday weekends and our little one’s success is evident.

It’s weird seeing him move on, though, as he reaches toward bigger and better things. My husband and I wonder where the time went, as our little man starts branching out on his own.

It makes me wish I could go back in time and savor some of those milestones moments just a bit more. I should have scheduled more family outings so we had more memories to cherish.

At the very least, it has motivated me to try to make the most of the remaining time we have before he inevitably leaves the nest. My husband thinks I’m being a bit premature, but I am all too aware of how quickly the sands are falling through the hourglass.

And my son has done a great job meeting my expectations in terms of his educational achievement. I always knew he was capable of great things, but it’s a fine line between being wholly supportive of your child and being a little too pushy, which can jeopardize their interest level.

I’m glad the family’s hard work is paying off and I can’t wait for what this next phase brings. There will be challenges, for sure, but we will work together and come out stronger and wiser on the other side.

That’s right, my guy has graduated from the infant room and now is in the toddler room.

Way to go, Peanut. You’re making your dad and me proud.

— Sarah Leach is managing editor at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at (616) 546-4278 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.