ABSTRACT
Being a grandparent is a life role we are assigned rather than one we choose, but within the ‘job description’ there is a great deal of variability and flexibility. The postulation of ‘grandparent types’, noted in Chapter 1, reflects this variation but seems not to capture the flexibility and complexity of the different ways the role can be carried out. In this chapter we describe the many facets of the grandparent role and how that role can alter as a result of choice, culture and circumstance. In particular, we examine how grandparents’ relationships with their grandchildren’s parents (the ‘middle generation’) can be strengthened or challenged by grand - parenthood, and the implications of this for family dynamics.
