Welcome to the pages devoted to
Grandparenting

News, views, features - on all things to do with Grandparenting - including grandchildren!!

We want YOUR ideas on what should be included but preferably your own story or articles

What is a Grandparent?

Giving Gifts to Your Grandchildren

Stereotypes and Myths of Aging

Some facts of Aging

Perceptions of Grandparents 

Perceptions of Grandchildren

Links to Grandparents Sites world wide

Grumpy Granpa (AKA Harry Mitchell)  writes a brief note on his and his wife's view of grandparenting followed by his poem  - Grandparents - who needs them?

I can only speak for 2 Grandparents, my wife and myself, and I know that my views are not shared by many of our fellow grandparents in one respect. Almost all of them seem to share a feeling of relief when the grand child goes home. We don't ! Our grand daughter is no angel at home.. her behaviour and general attitude leave a lot to be desired but when she is with us she is perfect and we hate taking her home. On her sixteenth birthday I said as far as I was concerned she could do anything she wanted...as long as she imagined that I was watching her. I got the usual exasperated comment of " Oh ! Grandpa" and it was she who named me Grumpy.

As far as a Grandparent orientated section the first thought I have is the significance of the Generation Gap. When I was younger the signs of old age were that policeman got younger and the newsprint smaller and those criteria still apply.
However I think you could examine the changes we now accept as normal but which most grandparents don't regret not sharing. For example:

The wearing of woolly pullys...I stick my arms through the sleeves and put my head through the neck hole whereas the trendy thing today is to tie the sleeves round the waist. As to baseball caps ?...enough said !

Dancing used to be an accepted legalised cuddle but these days kids can dance and never get within 2 yards of their partners in fact I have heard ballroom dancing described as "together dancing"..  They don't have a clue what they are missing

Teen age behaviour, a very wide subject but one thing always impresses me on the Idiot Box.. In my day after taking a girl out for the evening I might have been invited back to her place for a cup of coffee... if I played my cards right and was very lucky I might even be offered a chocolate biscuit. Nowadays the term has much more significance and if you don't know what I mean ask your grand daughter.

The Facts of Life.  Still sometimes a mystery to me but my grand daughter could enlighten me without any embarrassment...on her part.

Money ..we always spent it after we acquired it.