6
- W I N T E R
A grandmother’s
Love
JULIE EDWARDS,
with Tom (3) and
Polly (14 months)
Julie Edwards is the first to admit she
couldn’t wait to be a grandmother. She said
the arrival of Tom and Polly was even more
special than she could have imagined.
“I was very excited to become a
grandmother,” Julie says. “I’m one of those
that just couldn’t wait. And I was one of
the last! My sister and my friends all had
grandchildren already, so I had been waiting
a long time.”
When asked if being a grandmother lived
up to her expectations, she said it exceeded
them. “When you have your own children
you think you could never love anybody as
much and then your grandchildren come
along and it feels just the same. I think it’s
wonderful because you get all the best parts.
You get to do all the good things – and then
at the end of the day you can go home!
It’s like the icing on the cake without the
responsibility.”
Julie and daughter Leah say their
relationship has changed since Tom and
Polly were born. “It’s not that your daughter
needs you more, but they look to you
for advice,” Julie says. “There is more
understanding between you – now they
realise all the worries you had as a parent.”
Leah loves that her children are forming
close relationships with their grandparents
and she is grateful for their support. “I’ve
learned to appreciate my mum a hell of a
lot more. I realise I’m so lucky to have her
here, right on my doorstep, because a lot of
families don’t have that. Tom and Polly have
grandparents on both sides of the family
here in Muswellbrook and we all see each
other on a regular basis. If we go four
days without seeing each other,
that’s a big deal.”
Julie says grandparents
offer guidance. “They have
experience and can really
give that back to the child,”
she says. “I certainly think
Leah is very lucky that she
also has James’ parents, Rod
and Diane. Leah’s father
was killed when she was
four, so for the children to
have that extra male guidance
from Rod is important.”
Time is also something
grandparents have in abundance
– because when they visit they can
focus solely on the children. Leah says
grandparents help lighten the load.
“When the children are with me, I still
have to do all the normal things around the
house and sometimes you feel bad that you
aren’t giving them all your attention. But
when mum or Rod come over, they can play
with the kids and I can get things done.
They have more time to play with them and
the kids love that.”
Julie Edwards, her daughter Leah Wither and
grandchildren Tom and Polly.
