My toddler is the star of my Nonna’s retirement home

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A conga line. Bottomless ice cream. Jennifer Lopez tunes blaring from the speakers. No, it’s not a scene from an all-inclusive resort, nor was it a late-night weekend rave. It was the end-of-summer party at my grandmother’s long-term care home.

On a sunny Thursday in August, between afternoon naps and dinnertime, there was a sea of octogenarians dancing alongside their friends and personal support staff. And there in the middle of the dance circle was my 15-month-old daughter, waddling to the music and putting a smile on every face around her.

Don’t get the wrong idea: our weekly visits rarely turn into a dance party — but my daughter’s pre