This book is for grandmothers and their families to contemplate, learn from, laugh and cry with.
Being a grandmother is one of life’s most important roles and many women can feel unprepared to take it on.
New Age Nanas presents the rich and diverse views of over 1000 modern Australian grandmothers on what it is like to be a grandmother today, interwoven with expert commentary on how to make the most of this potentially wonderful and rewarding stage of life.
Readers will read about grandmothers’ views on topics such as feelings towards grandchildren, managing changing relationships as grandchildren get older, negotiating conflicts, special issues faced by grandmothers and taking time for their own lives, together with expert suggestions and advice from the authors on positive grandmothering.
What Readers are saying “What a fabulous book! Although not a nana yet I thoroughly enjoyed it and have purchased a copy for all the nanas in my life.”
Madge –
What a fabulous book! Although not a nana yet I thoroughly enjoyed it and have purchased a copy for all the nanas in my life
Professor Don Edgar –
In today’s world of complex family life, the place of grandmothers has shifted. Still the one who can give care and love unconditionally, they have to negotiate new relationships with their now grown-up children, carefully treading the line between offering help and interfering, being useful yet not exploited, dealing with children who become adolescents in a new digital age. This book gives clear voice to a wide range of new grandmothers, realistic about what they can do yet overwhelmingly delighted with their new role, forging new links across the generations as the ‘glue’ that often holds fragile families together. The book gives a moving account of the ups and downs, the careful footstepping that’s often needed. I like the sections summing up/giving advice at the end of chapters; people will find that very useful. Professor Don Edgar, Founding Director, Australian Institute of Family Studies
Zelda Rosenbaum –
For myself, one of the sweetest words I have ever heard is Nana. Grandmother to three wonderful boys my experience reflects the Welsh proverb that Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild. Doreen and Sue’s book not only echoes my joys but explores through detailed research and interviews the wide ranging experiences of a thousand grandmothers. Reflecting on the changing role of modern women and the new status the birth of grandchildren brings, they provide an insightful view of the rarely documented vicissitudes of this group of women. Comments from the many interviewees provide an intimate account of relationships with both grandchildren and children. They provide a spectrum of views that reflect not only the positive but the often difficult and fraught nature of these relationships – not every grandmother finds gratification in her role. 1161 Grandmothers in the 21st Century is written with warmth, honesty and wisdom; it induces tears and laughter as it breaks down the grandmotherly stereotypes of earlier times as it applauds the capacity and importance of grandmothers and the unique possibilities that this role brings. Zelda Rosenbaum, Documentary film maker