Nanette Newman on being Granny

Parenting |

Most children and adults cherish their grandparents. However, many Mums and Dads accuse the older generation of spoiling the Grand Kids!

Actress Nanette Newman has five grandchildren - and she admits to spoiling them all!

The mother of radio presenter Emma Forbes admits that grandparenting has changed over the years.

“I used to think that my Grandparents were mindblowingly old. They must’ve been around 50 or something and I used to think that they were older than God,” she said.

“My Grandmother used to sit by the fire with a cup of tea and knit and make tea cosies and I think the most she ever did with me was occasionally play I-Spy.

“The Grandparents I know seem to stay younger longer and become part of their grandchildrens lives.”

Nanette said she loves being a ‘Nana’.

“If you’re lucky it can be a rather wonderful relationship. There is that wonderful moment when you become a grandparent for the first time, suddenly you have this small being that has entered your life and that’s a privilege and a joy.”

Many parents accuse their Mums and Dads of being soft on the grandchildren and Nanette agrees.

“You become a little bit more indulgent. You find yourself saying ‘they’ll grow out of that’. You make excuses and I don’t know why that is.”

“You say ‘I think they’ll grow out of that as they hurl a plate of sprouts across the room.’ Don’t worry.”

Nanette wrote the foreword for The Really Useful Grandparents Book by Eleo Gordon and Tony Lacey. She said it is a great book for Gran and Grandad.

“I read it and I thought it was terrific. There is so much stuff in it. You can flick through this book and there are things that will spark off your imagination. If you’re with your Grandchildren you have to involve them in something and it’s got a lot of good ideas,” she said.

One of the book’s suggestions is to write to your Grandchildren and send postcards. Nanette said she loves the idea.

“We live in an age of texting. One of my Grandchildren had to show me how to use my mobile phone. I always used to write to my children and I think it’s a rather nice thing to keep doing. If your Grandchildren write back you treasure those letters.

“We’ve lost that thing of having a letter and being able to re-read it…it may also get them into letter writing which I think is a good thing”.

But what does she do with her brood?

“I’ve always loved cooking with them and teaching them how to cook. At Christmas they used to make things. One of my Grandchildren was over the other day and we were making things. I like creating things and we’ve always made presents and cards,” she said.