Dear LPG,

I often wonder what makes us tick in as much as, though it was a long time ago for us pensioners, we all enter this world with no preconceptions yet it does not take us very long to take on the traits of the people around us. 

So logic suggests that our parents must be our main influencers, but are they?

I think that when we oldies of today take a look at our grandchildren we see little ones that have been given a lot more leeway than we were, with the naughty step taking the place of a clip around the ear, and I sometimes wonder if we should be a little jealous.  When I look back at my childhood there were so many things that I was not allowed to do including interact freely with the only bit of outside technology that was around in those days; the radio and the black and white television (when we got one).

But now I am getting just a little bit of an opportunity to inject a degree of influence of my own.  I look after my young grandchildren once a week and that is a challenge in itself because things have changed I think.  When I was a mum, I looked to my Mum for lessons about how to bring my little ones up when they got naughty, but the internet has taken my place now I have aspired to grannyhood.

Like us, the little ones copy the influences around them with results that range from amusing to bothersome with all that is in between, and all we grandparents have are words. Let me give you an example; picture the scene…

I, the granny in charge of the school run (or should I say… the very long school walk for my legs these days), recently found myself on the way home with the little cherubs.  It was a really hot day so I suggested that we buy some ice cream on the way home as the route happens to pass Iceland.  Excitement ensued and talk was of chocolate.  When we got to the shop the little hands pointed to all those lollies designed for older children which are covered in lots of layers of chocolate, not to mention loads of sugar; the sworn enemy of their little teeth (according to all Mums).  I decided that the safest option was a plain old fashioned choc-ice, but one of my little charges was clearly unhappy with my choice.  

As we left the shop the foot stamping started and, when I ignored that and he decided it was getting him nowhere, he communicated a phrase that I suspect that his mummy uses a lot at such times.  My 5-year-old grandson turned to me and said, ‘Grandma, you are very annoying!’

For a moment I thought back to my 5^th year of existence and I am sure that I would have got a good clout had I uttered those words to any grown up, no matter how many times I had heard them. But clouts were off the menu so I answered, ‘Little one, I may be annoying but I am definitely annoyed!  I am so annoyed that I am not even sure that you will get any of the ice-cream we have bought when we get home now.’

At that point the need for whatever ice-cream was on offer overtook the indignance and I got my heart felt, ‘Sorry grandma’ reply.

It is not possible to think on your feet all the time, and I know that the hot weather is coming to an end for this year, but I hope that this little lesson in the ‘verbal smack’ may come in useful for a few other hands-on grandmas out there sometime soon…

HG, Charlton.