Can you be too old to be a grandmother?

I love being a grandmother. Do I love getting older? Absolutely not - but apparently there's not a lot of choice.

There's no choice either about whether or not you become a grandmother.  A number of my friends and acquaintances, who are 9+ years older than myself, are still waiting. My aunt was in her seventies before becoming a doting nana, where as her sister (my mum) became a great grandmother before turning 80.  I'm actually a little smug about becoming a youngish granny at 54 - I can still play chasey and lay on the floor to play games (just give me a minute to get up).

What's my point?
There was an media article a few weeks ago where a doctor suggested that it was selfish for women delay having children.  They were setting there children up to have to look after them as aged parents when the children hit their 20s.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/lifestyle/article/-/10397546/too-old-for-a-baby

What was really interesting about the article was the poor questioning by journalists (at least from what I saw).  While the good doctor referred to the fact that the children would, in their 20s, have quite old parents seemed to be lost in translation.  Women in their late 30s and well into their 40s proclaimed that it was a matter of choice and they still felt fit and wonderful .  Terrific, and so they should.  There were a few points missing from the interviews, particularly questions about 20-30 years into the future!

Also missing was a mention of the grandmothers to these young children.  If the mum's are pushing 40 and 50 then the grandparents are likely to be well past taking the kids for runs in the park let alone for the school holidays.  Children to older mum's might miss out on the fabulous learning and interaction with grandparents.  Family history, stories of time before mobile phones and more will not be part of their lives. Certainly the grandmothers are unlikely to be able to attend the 21st birthdays of their grandchildren.

Having children to a plan doesn't always pan out.  Having grandchildren to a plan is just plain wishful thinking.

While a bit tacky, below are some links to grandmothers who seem to be coping quite well.

http://www.complex.com/girls/2009/12/the-10-hottest-celebrity-grandmothers
http://grandparents.about.com/od/grandparentingtoday/tp/Find-Out-About-Celebrity-Grandmothers.htm

Nana Lizzie
www.worldsbestgrandmother.com.au