Grand Parents

[Daisy]

Of course, we are all grannies, but this isn't about us, it's about our OWN grand parents.

I was reading a gardening magazine at lunch time, and several contributors mentioned how they had got the gardening bug from a grandparent. You also often hear people say the same thing about crafts - knitting etc - cooking and baking. It brings back memories of happy times with their own grandparents.

I didn't really have experience of any grandparents. I have some memories of going out to various places (mainly horse racing) with my paternal grandfather, but he died when I was about 5 or 6. Granny (his wife) died when I was 8 but I can't remember anything about her except she was a very quiet little old lady in black.

Did your grandparents play an important role in your lives - I'd love to know.

[Plantaholic]

I didn’t know my maternal GF he died when I was little, my GM lived with us when she was not able to live on her own. My fathers mother died when he was quite young and I gather his father wasn’t hands on, he was a publican. So really only knew my mothers mother.

[Lizzie48]

My fathers parents both died when he was quite young, 19 I think he was at the time, he was the youngest of quite a large family. My mothers father got killed in France in WW1 and her mother re-married, I do remember my grandma and (step)grandfather, we were never the favourites really, I do remember they had one of the first TV's in the village, we would go on a Wednesday afternoon to watch The Flower Pot men and Andy Pandy! That was a long time ago.

[Oma]

Both my grandfathers died before I was born ,
my Step grandmother my mothers stepmother as her mother had died when my mother was 5 and my grandfather married the house keeper 😁
She died when I was 4 , fell down some stone steps opening the front door banging her head on the bottom step and died instantly.
I had my fathers mother but didn’t really know her and she died when I was young ,
So I had no grandparents influence at all .

[Nanto2girls]

I was adopted by my paternal grandparents,so knew them quite well.
My grandma from my real mothers side kept in touch, till i was about 6, i presume she died,although i was never told this.
Can't ever remember meeting meeting my maternal grandfather. I know nothing at all about him.
My paternal grandma died a month before my 14th birthday. Paternal grandad lived until i was 29.
Gran learned me how to knit and she was a good baker, and i think i got my baking skills from her.

[Mimi]

I never knew both my grandfathers. My dad's father died at an early age . Apparently dad said he worked really hard ( he was a farm hand) and if he was unwell he had no choice but to work as there was no NHS or sick pay and dad was convinced that he worked himself to an early grave .
Mums dad was an acholic, and this brought about the breakdown of my nan's and grandfather marriage. Mum and the rest of the family would refuse to have anything to do with him.
Dad said he was an extremely clever and talented man who could turn his hand to almost anything,. He said if he hadn't had taken to drinking he could have had a great life.

Dad's mum was a lovely lady , she was tiny but great fun to be with. When she was in her 50s she developed bowel cancer , she had to have a colostomy bag but she went on to live into her 90's
Mum's mum lived with use and she was also a very lovely nan . She used to smuggle pieces of chocolate to myself and my sister when she thought mum wasn't looking..
Sadly nan had several strokes and died at the age of 69

[Gemini]

Nan2, how sad that your Grandma who adopted you died when you were so young xx

It seems several of us have little or no experience of grandparenting , the ones who do are lucky.

I have no memory or experience of grandparent influences or shared times.

On dad's side my grandma died before I was born. (a truly lovely lady according to my mum, her DIL)
Dad's dad remarried with undue haste and more or less cut out his own 8 children in favour of his new wife's. I never met him although he apparently lived a long life.

My mum's dad was a lovely man who died when I was 10. He wasn't well and all my memories are of him in a dressing gown. He was frail and gentle. I do feel I loved him.
My maternal Nanna died when I was in my early 20's/ There were so many other GC before me that I was never special and she never spent any time with me (and she favoured boys) Mum and I visited every week, but I didn't feel I knew her or she me. I felt sad for mum when my nanna died but not for myself at all.

I used to sometimes go with 2 friends and their mum to visit their gran. That opened my eyes to grandparents who swept you up with hug and had boxes of toys in the corner!
I vowed to be that sort of Grandma, and I am

[Nanto2girls]

Granparenting for us here seems so different to what it was like when we were children.
We didn't seem to have the same interaction with grandparents like all of us in the forum have now.
I know in years gone by, a lot died relatively young.
Obviously medical treatments weren't available like now. A lot of us are living to a much older age.

[Grauntie Mag]

I remember my maternal grandmother being in bed, ill. I have no other memory of her. Maternal grandfather died before I was born. Paternal Grandmother lived within us for a while but we were not encouraged to have much contact for some reason. My memory of her is a very austere lady whom my mother didn’t get along with. Maybe she wasn’t at all! Paternal grandfather also died before I was born. Mother had 4 sisters, two were ‘maiden ladies’ who lived together. That was the house where the toy drawer was and we were made a fuss of.

[Daisy]

Most of us seem to have had very little interaction with our grandparents (let alone happy memories and fun). But it's wonderful for those who did have a great relationship with a grandparent.

My mother's father died when she was about 7 and at some point her mother remarried, but both her mother and stepfather had died several years before I was born.

I feel quite sad that my only memory I have of Granny (paternal GM) was of her sitting by the fire in their parlour, and her being ill in bed and my cousin who must have been 15 at the time, sitting on a chair by Gran's bedside, doing her shorthand homework.