Becoming a parent can be a daunting prospect. There is no hard and fast ‘correct’ way of bringing up your children – it is very much learnt as you go along.

However hard it may seem at the time, when you get to the grandparent stage and look back, it is one of the most rewarding parts of your life.

I like to browse through the old photographs of our children through their different ages, and find this brings back many memories of times shared that could be forgotten. We were very lucky as I think I can honestly say we have enjoyed all the ages of our children. I think of each of their ‘ages’ as steps on the ladder of life.

Very young, they are full of wonder for the world and excited to explore their surroundings – often meaning very tired parents running around after them and redirecting their interests to safer options. As they grow and go to school, they make friends and learn how to socialise with others – not always an easy time.

Then when they start working, although they do not need your support quite so much, it is lovely to be able to talk to them about their lives and what they hope for, and to offer perhaps more emotional support in difficult times.

I don’t quite know how it has happened, but suddenly instead of us being support to them and helping them where we can, the see-saw seems to have subtly changed and as we age, they take over the supporting and helping role from us, and look out for us now.

Having grandchildren is a real blessing. They seem so precious and because we ourselves are older – and perhaps wiser – it is lovely to take a back seat to all the difficult decisions that parents have to make as the children grow, and get enjoyment from being with them and talking to them.

It is as exciting to watch a grandchild grow and develop as with your own children. We are very lucky that we have great relationships with all our grandchildren and it is such joy to be able to discuss things with them and hear their views about the world and their future.

To summarise, babies are a miracle and children amaze as they grow to adulthood – when they continue to give love and joy to us, and allow us to share in the fun of watching grandchildren grow to find their place in humanity.