How To Be The Best Grandma!

Last Updated on: 8th June 2026, 04:03 pm

Be The Best Grandma To Your Grandchildren

The day I became a grandma was right up there with having my own kids. I got a video call in the middle of the night, and I got to see the most beautiful baby in her crib. But then the world closed down, and it felt like I had waited so long to be a grandma, and it was taken away. However, fortunately, in a world of video calls, I was able to see her grow on the phone. They live in the Netherlands, so there was so much stacked against me as I tried to be the best grandma to this precious little girl.

We have an amazing relationship, and being a grandma has totally changed my life. Here are some of my own tried and tested tips on how to be the best grandma that you can be. They might not all work for you, but they sure work for me.

Don’t Get In The Way And Offer Unwanted Advice

This is a big one for me. My own mother interrupted with bringing my kids up, and it is something that I regret every day. She was so toxic, and I let her slam my parenting and be horrible to my kids when they were little. But because she was my mother, I let her do it. She would criticise what I was doing with my kids, and she would bitch about the choices I made with my kids. Now I have no relationship with her.

It is hard when you see your children being parents, and you want to tell them how to do things. But they are getting this unwanted advice from so many other people, and they don’t need it from you. There is so much pressure being a mum when you have medical staff and health visitors telling you to do certain things. Then someone else tells you something completely different. If the new parents need advice, they will ask for it, or they will tell you what they have tried. That opens the door to receiving advice from you.

Don’t insist on feeding the new baby when it might be dads chance to bond with the baby and do something special for his baby. Don’t insist on taking the baby out when the mum might have separation issues. They might need to get some sleep, but do not take her baby away from her!

Be The Best Grandma And Learn To Play Roblox Or Minecraft!

My granddaughter phones me up by video call, and we have to play Roblox together. Do not ask me how you play it, because I wing it all the time! When she first asked me to play, I was using my phone, and it was impossible to control. But then Tilly suggested that I use the laptop, and it is much easier. I use Tilly’s account to play with, and I am always accidentally spending her Robux that she has saved up. So it costs me more money to replace them. I like to think this makes me a cool grandma, but I love this time alone to play and interact with her.

Sometimes we play a game where there is a little village, and she insists that I be a baby and she carries my little character around for the whole game. I really do not need to do much, so I like this game. But then she wants to play games where I have no idea how to control the game, so I am totally lost! I am still a bit rubbish, but I must be good enough for her, because she still keeps phoning up and asking me to play.

If you can’t play Roblox, learn the lingo or the characters. I can identify a creeper from Minecraft now, more than I ever could when Tilly was little. Online games are a huge part of kids growing up these days, so we really need to keep up with the tech in order to keep up with the kids. If your grandkids are getting older, they might be Pokemon fans, then that is a whole new world for you. Make sure you learn the Pokemon lingo.

Spoiling Them With Toys Isn’t The Best Advice, But It Buys Their Attention!

I don’t get to see my grandchildren as much as I want. If we are lucky, we manage to get over there about 6 or 7 times a year. Sometimes more! So whenever I see some toys, I buy them, knowing that the girls will love them. Then, when we go over to the Netherlands, it is like Christmas for them. There are literally toys in all of our luggage, and we cannot fit our clothes. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Buying all the toys doesn’t make me a better grandma, but it does help to get into their good books! As a grandma, being there for them is more important, and I like to be able to do that as well as spoil them. It has certainly helped to get their confidence when they were younger, because which child can resist taking a gift from someone? I noticed it more with grandchild number two, because we don’t speak as much on the video call, and she is a bit unsure when we see her in real life. But as soon as I pull a toy out of my bag, she is there, sitting on my lap. The magic of toys!

Be There And Listen To Them

Your grandchild will probably want to tell you all about their day, especially when they have done something that makes them proud. It might be the most boring conversation that you have that day, but listen to them, because it means so much to them. They are proud enough to tell you, and you are the world to them. You are the world to your grandchildren, and they want to share special things with you.

There are going to be days when your grandchild wants to tell you something serious that they don’t want to tell their parents. Listen to them and advise them as best you can. Then speak to the parents. You are not betraying their trust; you are supporting them in another way. Some things are too big to keep to yourself.

Sometimes they will tell you something about someone upsetting them at school, as much as it angers you to hear this. To know someone has hurt your grandchild is awful. Although you are as protective of them as you are with your own children, you need to remember that they will be friends tomorrow, and all the upset will be forgotten.

Be A Regular In Their Life

When kids are little, you have to be a constant in their lives. You cannot be erratic with your contact, because it is very unsettling with them. You will miss out on so much of their life, and you will lose all the trust that the grandchild has in you. Although we live in a different country from my granddaughters, we keep in touch and video call all the time. I get a video call when my eldest granddaughter passes a swimming lesson level, or when she gets a new toy. Whatever she is proud of, she wants to share. Sometimes she just phones to say she misses us. Having erratic contact or no contact at all means that the only person to miss out is YOU! Your grandchild will be surrounded by love, and if you’re not part of that, you will lose out.