IT IS ONE of my great regrets that none of my four grandparents were alive at the time I was born and so I never knew any of them, nor was I able to enjoy the love I know they would have lavished on me. On the other hand, for that very reason I probably have a heightened appreciation of what my parents and those of my wife meant to our children. And now that we have two lovely little granddaughters of our own we see the other side of the coin: the pure delight they bring to our lives as we watch them grow and develop their unique personalities.
Having spent my entire professional career caring for mothers as they experience pregnancy and childbirth, I have a special awareness of the vital importance of families. Family members are all able to support each other in a huge number of different ways. Not only can the older members support and encourage the younger ones; it can often happen in the opposite direction, even when the young are very young. Such support is at its most important in times of hardship and sorrow. It is the direct result of the joys and happiness we share in the good times.
Grandparents are often the marvellous extra ingredient in the family, not least because of their wisdom and experience but because they may have more time to devote to their grandchildren while their parents are hard pressed.
I once heard it said that the secret of success in life is to choose the right grandparents – not easy to do, but we certainly carry their genes and we should cherish them for those and all the other things they have brought us – their love, guidance and encouragement.
Andrew Calder is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Edinburgh and Consultant in these disciplines at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. His principal clinical and research focus is on the biological mechanisms of pregnancy, labour and delivery. He is the founding director of the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory, funded by PiggyBankKids, which aims to improve understanding of the causes and consequences of low birth weight in order to reduce the incidence of stillbirth, neonatal death and long term handicap.