Wow, I have a Granddaughter! My oldest son ‘s wife just gave birth to their second child. She weighed in at 7lbs11oz. 19and1/2 inches long. She is the most beautiful baby in the world, a grandmother’s dream. Am I bragging? You bet ya! I have been asked if being called grandma makes me feel old. In all honesty, I find it an honor. I am not a natural grandmother; I guess technically I would be called “step grandma”. Nevertheless, I feel honored perhaps because my own grandmothers were such ‘honorable’ women. On the other hand, perhaps I feel honored because my own Mother really seems to enjoy being a grandmother.
I feel that as a grandmother it is very important not to interfere in the mother/daughter relationship. It is best to simply be a sounding board for either or both the grandchild and mother. The best advice one can give does not come in the form of advice but in the form of recollections of experiences and expressions of feelings. My own mother has been a perfect exemplar of this with Samantha and me.
An example would be her telling Samantha something I had done as an adolescent and how my misbehaving or disrespectful comments made her feel or even reminding me of my own behavior as a child. It has been good for Samantha and her brothers to realize that I was a child once myself. That knowledge helps them understand that the discipline they receive comes from understanding and love.
My greatest hope, as a grandmother is to be the wonderful grandmother that both my own Mom and grandmother have been.
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