Move over mum-to-be and your Baby Shower, there’s someone else who’s hoping for a pregnancy party in their name. And no, it’s not dad.
When a new baby is on the way, it’s all about mum. But are we forgetting a very important person who could do with some celebrating? No, we’re not talking about the expectant father. We’re talking about…
Grandmothers.
The Grandma Shower is a new trend coming out of the US that has some nans-to-be very excited. Generally speaking, being a grandmother is a lot less stressful than being a mother. When children are dropped off to you they are clean, healthy and happy. When they get to be a bit too much to handle, nana can just drop them home and drive away.
Sounds like a reason to party to us.
Grandma showers are most often held for grandmothers who will be very involved in caring for their grandchild, and normally only occur for first grandchildren, just like baby showers. The grandmother-to-be’s closest friends normally organise the event and sometimes (usually, we hope!) the mother-to-be is consulted beforehand.
Etiquette expert and author Colleen Rickenbacher told grandparents.com that grandma showers are here to stay. "Our generation is in a better situation financially. And, a lot more of our children are going back to work after having the baby, so we're babysitting more and need to stock the house with gear," says the 57-year-old Texan grandmother of three. The events are particularly useful when grandparents live far away and might need their own equipment to help take care of their grandchild during visits.
However not all mothers-to-be think it's okay. This is particularly true when mother-in-laws throw lavish bashes on their own behalf. It can be seen as a way of taking attention away from the expectant mother or a 'gift grab'.
Blogger and mother Penelope Guzman says grandma showers are 'un-grandmotherly'. “Considering that is money and energy that could be spent on a tired new mom and a newborn, I don’t get why grandmas want to put the focus on themselves,” she wrote in a private forum on MomDot. “She isn’t doing anything, just getting a title.”
Well, maybe. But here in Australia it's estimated that one in five kids is the recipient of regular (unpaid) child care from a grandparent, so maybe a little party is a nice sweetener!
Would you throw a Grandma Shower for your mum or mum-in-law? Or is it all too much fuss?
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