I’m Anita, 67, and I’ve been a grandma for 13 years!
I have three adult children and four granddaughters, as well as an honorary grandson.
I was born when my parents were in their 40s and I had my first two children in my 20s. With two children, I found myself caring for my parents, especially my mother, who for the whole of my children’s lifetime was not able to be the grandmother she was to her other grandchildren.
On the day my third child was born, my mother died, so all three of them grew up virtually without their maternal grandmother. I didn’t have a grandmother either and really had no role model to gain tips from. When my first grandchild was born, I felt overwhelming love for her and wanted to be part of her life. We lived at different ends of the country, but I tried to visit as often as possible. My daughter also made the journey north as often as she could to keep the bond strong.
When my second granddaughter came along, I was still working as the busy editor of a newspaper, but again I tried to be with them as much as I could. My third granddaughter was born right next door to me, so I saw her daily and am still enjoying watching her grow up eight years later.
The fourth granddaughter came along with my daughter still living in London. Before she was 2 years old, the pandemic brought them all home, and they have never gone back. I now enjoy having all four of them around me almost every day and, although it is chaotic at times, I absolutely love it. The more chaos, the better I like it.
We dance to my jukebox, we cook, sew, study history, make ginger beer, bake cakes, play games (Monopoly and Cluedo are favourites) and watch the birds. There is time now to just stand still, although I’m not known for standing still! We have so many adventures – too many to list – and I hope I am helping to make memories for them all. I can give advice from my own experience and I am thoroughly enjoying being so heavily involved.
Finally, my honorary grandson, the son of my nephew who is the son of my sister who died when he was 1. The boy has no grandparents and I stepped in to take their place. Again, I enjoy helping out – and giving advice! I hope I am doing my sister proud.
There is no comparison to the joy I find in my grandchildren, having the time now, since retirement, to be a large part of their lives: teaching them, informing them, but also being taught myself – by them!
I love it, and hope there are more to come!
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Published in issue 89. Accurate at the time this issue went to print.
