by Janet Harris

Created on: January 16, 2009   Last Updated: April 03, 2011

I didn't want to be a Grandmother after all I was too young wasn't I? I was 53 years old in fact, and many of my peers had become Grandparents. They all told me how fantastic it was, that they had a stronger bond with their Grandchildren than they ever had with their own children and that all the cliches you hear about Grandparents suddenly applied to them they became soft', indulgent and over-generous with their money and with their love. I vowed that I would never be like that, I would certainly not drop everything and babysit, I would not feel upset when my Grandchild was disciplined by it's parents, and I would not give in to tantrums and demands, but.guess what, I am now everything I said I would never be. What is more I don't care I enjoy being a Grandmother so much that all my pre-conceived ideas and plans have flown out of the window without so much as a tiny regret.

Being a Grand-parent is one of those states that you have to be in to totally understand and appreciate how it feels. I cannot describe it to anyone, but I just know inside that those two little people are two of the best things that ever happened to me. It's almost like being in love because I actually feel excited when I am going to see them (which fortunately for me is quite often) and when I am with them I treasure each second and notice every new thing they achieve. I suppose that part of the feeling is that I am not tired as their parents sometimes are. I am not the one who has had the sleepless night or had to put up with whining and tantrums all day. When I am with them, I am there to make them laugh, cuddle them, teach them new things without the distractions of having to do other things as well, such as cook, or clean or do the ironing. I can give them 100% of my time and in return I get 100% of the laughs and the cuddles and all the attention.

On occasion I have had both of my Grandchildren to stay overnight. This again is something I said I would never do, but the prospect of feeding a small, warm baby in the middle of the night, was too much of a temptation to resist. When my own children needed feeding in the night I would grumble and shuffle out of bed, anxious to get the feeding over with so that I could get back to sleep again. I knew that I would be up early, ready for another day of feeding and changing and possibly lots of crying too, as well as having to do my household chores. When you are a Grandparent however, you can prepare. You can do your housework the day before so that you can devote all your time to looking after your small charges. You can be so self-indulgent, playing with them and holding them for as long as you want to. When they have gone home the place seems so empty, but at least you can get an early night and get your life back to normal until the next time.

But by far the best part about being a Grandparent is the moment when I arrive at my daughter's house and my Grandchildren rush to the door, with huge grins on their faces, holding out their arms to be picked up and hugged. I only hope that they will feel the same when they are teenagers because I know that I will always feel the same about my precious Grandchildren.

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