Six months is not a long time to feel like a full-fledged grandmother. I'm still fighting against the image of the old woman in a grey bun that I don't want to be. I smile because we sometimes have this debate on Senior.Life about the term 'Senior' for people in their fifties. I love being a grandmother and even a 'senior' because I have the maturity of my age, but it's the image of grandmothers of the past that's no longer accurate in the present. It's up to me to create my own identity as a grandmother and to assert that to be a young senior and a young grandmother is to age well! 

I can feel that things are gradually falling into place and that they have incredible strength, so I can imagine more and more what it means to be a grandmother.  I try to build that bond once a week. But as a working woman, it's not easy. This fits in quite well with my daughter's schedule, who has decided to take her time with him. And she's right, it may require some sacrifices, but he's developing so well on his mum's breast that nothing else matters any more. To see him blossom and open up to life with such intelligence is magnificent, isn't it? As far as I'm concerned, it's becoming increasingly clear to me that I need to make time for him. I'm hoping to organise a schedule that will allow me to keep him one day a week from September onwards.

For the time being, I feel like I'm on a bit of a break, just getting used to him and discovering him. I'm surprised that every time I see him, my heart explodes with a new emotion. It must be that heart of 'Mamy' that's awakening.

I think looking at it is enough for me. And thank goodness for new technologies, which allow us to be fed photos and videos so often! I must be smiling like a fool, completely gaga, because I'm making faces to get her to smile back at me.

I'm thinking a lot about the role of grandmother, because this little being is taking on a new and important place in my life.

For me,

being a grandmother means loving your grandchildren unconditionally and being there for them:
Being a grandmother means loving your grandchildren unconditionally and being there for them, whether to help, support, advise or simply spend time with them. It often means being a source of comfort and security for them, especially in the event of difficulties or problems. If the desire to be a grandmother is present, this new identity needs to develop. A bit like the maternal instinct that arrives at a given moment, that of the grandmother or grandfather is also a construction of experiences and emotions. The love I feel for my daughter seems to cross the generation and be amplified thanks to Marcelino, and I'm also discovering how much I love her dad, who I find in this mixture of the two. I'm also grateful to my ex-husband for everything we built together 30 years ago. And we had the pleasure of exchanging that at Christmas, in the fluidity of our new lives. It's wonderful to be at peace with the past, so that we can live the present to the full.

Being a grandmother means passing on values, traditions and knowledge to your grandchildren. It means helping them discover the world, telling them stories, teaching them recipes or board games, and sharing moments of complicity and tenderness with them. For me, it's painting, arts and crafts, the art therapy I practise, the nature I love and lots of little follies, because I'm very connected to my inner child. And I'll be dealing with her parents' worries about that. Because at Manou et Papillon, we're going to explore art and creativity in all its forms.

Finally, being a grandmother often means playing an important role in the life of your own family, helping to keep it together and bringing stability and affection to its members. Bringing our children together is now a priority. We know that the family celebrations that are coming up have a new look.  I love the fact that my youngest at 15 is already an uncle. And it's great to see my three sons as young uncles. For them too, it's a process that's taking shape more and more.

It's magical to see all of us transformed by his arrival. My daughter is an incredible mother, a wonderful woman. I love watching her be a mum. I didn't have my mum when I became a mother. I had very little information, no grandmother role models (mine weren't around that much), but I think we're doing very well. And then, in our lives, there have been so many upheavals that we've learnt to be flexible, to welcome the unknown, to face up to difficulties and to marvel at beautiful things. Marcelino can enjoy all that now.

Sunday is Grandma's Day, so I did a bit of research:

Grandmothers' Day is a special day celebrated every year, and since 1999 it has been celebrated on 5 March.

Grandmothers' Day is a day that aims to strengthen intergenerational links and promote the transmission of values, traditions and knowledge between the generations. It's a day to celebrate the importance of grandparents in our lives and to pay tribute to their essential role in the family.

So, through this blog, I hope that all women who, like me, are grandmothers, will feel special this Sunday. Committed and proud of who they are. Even if you're not close to your grandchildren, you brought their parent into the world, and for that reason alone, you have a mission in their lives. Transmission... I love that word, its value, its strength and its meaning.

Happy birthday to you!