“I knew we couldn’t afford daycare,” Dan said. “Dina would have to quit her job. It just wasn’t an option.”
What seemed a perfect alternative to a daycare center was the possibility of having Ava’s three grandfathers care for her, each on one day a week while her mother worked. Dan’s father, Dale Neuman and Dina’s stepfather, Ken Bernard, both of Clayton, are retired and Dina’s dad, Nello Adducchio, of Springfield, owns his own business.
Dan has a somewhat flexible schedule and is available to care for his daughter two days a week. “We just needed to ask her grandfathers to watch her the three other days,” he said.
Grandpa Dale raised three children and said taking Ava one day a week has been relatively easy for him. “It’s like riding a bike,” he said. “When my son was born I ended up being Mr. Mom, so I learned how to take care of an infant then. I really enjoy watching her.”
For Grandpa Ken, Ava is not only his first granddaughter, but also the first infant for whom he has cared. “I knew I would figure it out,” he said. “I watched my wife (Marsha Bernard), care for her and it looked easy. Ava likes a lot of attention but if you give her that, she is pretty happy.”
Between the two retired grandfathers and Ava’s dad, four of the five days that Ava’s mom was at work were covered, but they still needed care for her on Fridays.
“We tried to work out a plan to keep expenses down with daycare,” Grandpa Nello said. “We call it ‘Baby Friday,’ at my business in Dayton. I had five kids of my own so I understand the expense of raising babies so we were going to make it work one way or another.”
On “Baby Friday,” Nello brings Ava into his transportation business and she spends the day walking around in her grandfather’s arms.
“We all have a great time walking the hallway peeking into everyone’s offices,” Grandpa Nello said. “And now she’s greeting everyone and waving to them.”
Today at 9 months old, Ava has developed a close bond with all of her grandfathers and the family recognizes that though their situation isn’t typical, they hope it inspires others to consider alternatives to traditional daycare.
“This is such a blessing for everyone involved,” said Grandpa Dale. “It accomplishes a huge cost savings for the kids but it also a great for us to be able to spend the time with our granddaughter and watch her grow.”
And everyone agrees that she is a very happy and social little girl who loves to go outside in all kinds of weather and is constantly busy playing and exploring the world around her. And because of her unique family of caregivers, prominent among her first words have been “da da.”
“I try to get her to say ‘mama,’” said Grandpa Dale. “But she just keeps saying ‘Daddy!’ For her to be around men all the time, it’s going to be interesting to say the least as she gets a little bit older.”
Ava’s parents are so pleased that they have been able to keep her care within the family that they are considering adding a sibling for Ava at some point in the near future, hoping, of course, that all three grandpas will be willing to take on the responsibility of another baby.
“The only thing we ask is that they make sure this one is out of diapers first,” said Grandpa Dale. “If you have two in diapers, it’s tough. That’s my advice to them.”
Keeping Ava at home with family has not only saved the family money but has resulted in very little illness in this very lucky little girl. “She has hardly even had a diaper rash,” said Grandpa Dale. “She’s never sick and we don’t have to worry about strangers taking care of her.”
And like any baby, little Ava Marie has forever changed the lives of her family members, particular her grandfathers,who now each have their individual homes and one place of business, set up for a baby. And ask any of them to speculate what they think it will be like for Ava growing up with all these men so close to her, you’ll surely hear similar answers.
“Ava can call me Grampy or Grandpa or anything she wants,” said Grandpa Nello. “She’s probably going to end up having three of everything. She’s a real pleasure to have around, especially at work. She’s just a joy.”
“She wants to go to all the guys,” said Grandpa Dale. “But when she starts to date, it’s going to be tough going through the Grandpa lineup!”
“Whatever Ava needs she gets,” said Grandpa Ken. “She loves to meet people wherever she goes. You can just see how happy she is. All the time.”
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