Become a grandparent

“When I first saw my grandson I was overwhelmed by the feeling of him being a precious little human being, my very own flesh and blood, who needs to be looked after, but then I realised I had to step back and learn to share that role - the cake isn’t all mine.”

“I remember that with the announcement of my daughter-in-law’s pregnancy, I realised I was being shunted up a generation and it felt like a shunt because it wasn't of my doing. My son and daughter-in-law, in deciding to create the next generation, had pushed me up towards the older generation, towards the ancestral side. I remember very vividly asking myself if I was ready for that, but it wasn't a matter of whether I was ready or not because I was not in control.”

“Since our four children are rather spread out in age, I didn’t have much time to transition from parent to grandparent. In fact, my youngest child graduated from high school less than 24 hours before my oldest child became a father. I really didn’t know if I was ready for this new role. [...] My very first job as grandmother, after quickly meeting my three-day-old grandson, was to drive across the country with my exhausted son so he didn’t fall asleep behind the wheel on his way to a new job. (I then flew back to help his wife with the baby until she felt well enough to join him.)”