How To Survive Your First Year as a Grandparent is a satirical look at becoming a grandparent. It is a short read at 129 pages and as the author, Jay Heyman states upfront, the book is “mainly a guide designed for the grandfather. Not the grandmother.” He admiringly admits that “grandmother takes intuitively to being a grandmother.” He also clarifies that it is written from the masculine point of view with references to grandchildren with the generic name of Jamie and “he” as the pronoun.
It is written to amuse with “cheats” to make sure a new grandparent positions themself as caring and engaged without having to get into the less favourable responsibilities like diaper changing.
Heyman’s focus is on managing expectations i.e., that as a grandparent, the only thing you are remotely capable of is playing with the little one. With adept guidance, he equips the reader with the maneuvers to show a sad lack of ability to do anything from the simplest tasks like feeding the little one to the more complex, like assembling toys. He cautions, tongue-in-cheek, not to get too good at anything or “If you are not careful, you might have to do some of the work.”
The author Heyman offers hints on the softer skills of being a grandparent, like having to look at photos of other grandparents who insist that their grandchild is destined to be a movie star. He admits that there is no way of avoiding it but does offer responses that help survive the interaction while keeping the friendship intact.
Amongst the satire and humorous quips, the underlying theme is unconditional love for the little one. Heyman admits, as a grandparent, you feel that you never see enough of him/her and there is rarely enough bonding time. His loving comments are a balance for the satirical looks at being a grandfather when, at the end of the day, all he wants is for the little one to believe that that grandpa is his major source of their happiness.
How to Survive Your First Year as a Grandparent would make a good gift to the right grandfather. Not all would find it funny but the one who do would find it hilarious.