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Whether you call them diapers or nappies, the need to change them is the same. Grandparenting, too, is much the same on both sides of the Atlantic. British grandparents who know Gloria Hunniford from radio and television will enjoy getting to know her better. All grandparents will appreciate her sound grandparenting advice. If you're looking for a lively book about grandparenting, paired with delightful drawings of grandparents by primary school kids, Glorious Grandparenting is just the ticket.

Getting to Know Gloria

Let's call her Gloria, shall we? Hunniford doesn't sound right, and besides, her first name has been incorporated into the titles of her shows. Gloria has great fun detailing the arrival of her grandchildren, especially her second grandson, who started his entry into the world on Christmas night in the midst of a gathering of the clan, making for quite a rollicking debut. The arrival of the third grandson was a bittersweet occasion, as it followed hard upon the death of Gloria's former husband, the baby's grandfather. The mother, Gloria's daughter Caron, struggled with depression and then, less than nine months after the birth of her second son, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Gloria, however, had met the second love of her life, Stephen, and the two of them planned their wedding as they anticipated the birth of Gloria's fourth grandchild. This chapter ends with Gloria and Stephen tying the knot attended by Stephen's four grandchildren and three of Gloria's, with Gloria's fourth having arrived the day before.

It seemed like a perfect occasion, but there was heartache in store. More about that later.

Gloria's Take on Grandparenting

In the next few chapters, Gloria revisits her childhood, introducing her own grandparents and telling how they influenced her grandparenting style. As she details the things she does with her grandchildren, they sound like so much fun that I long to join in. When the grandchildren arrive, they always start off with tea, and she has created little tea rituals and collected several tea sets, including a "magic tea set" used only when the children are ill. She describes how the children play for hours in the garden: "They'd explore, fight crocodiles, have sword fights with sticks and hunt tigers--filthy dirty but blissed out!" She offers little bits of grandparenting wisdom: "I always think if you're not sure what to do in any situation, act with love, and it will turn out all right."

Grandparenting Issues

In the next series of chapters, Gloria addresses some grandparenting issues:

• "Grandparents as Carers" informs us that half of all British couples rely on grandparent child care and offers advice for the caregivers.
• "Zip That Lip" addresses the always thorny issue of when to offer advice.
• "The In-Laws and the Outlaws" deals with the gamut of in-law problems.
• "Grandparents and the Law" passes on the sad truth that in the U.K., as in most other locations around the world, grandparents can be barred from seeing their grandchildren with very little recourse.
• "Grandparent Heroes" salutes grandparents raising grandchildren and those helping to care for special needs grandchildren.

Along the way, Gloria takes a break from the serious stuff for a chapter simply called: "Having Fun."
Facing the Worst

When Gloria returns to her narrative, it is to relate the death of her daughter Caron, from the breast cancer that was diagnosed shortly after the birth of her second son. Caron dies when her sons are seven and ten years old. Gloria wonders aloud how to tell the children. The family doctor tells her, "You watch, the children will lead you. . ." Gloria learns the truth of that statement, as the children grieve but also continue to find the fun in life. Now teenagers, her grandsons continue to exhibit exuberant spirits, in one episode covering her car with what appeared to be yellow balloons but were really inflated condoms. The boys had been buying them in the men's room with money cadged from Gloria! That Gloria could laugh about this experience proves the worth of one of the quotations she includes in the final chapter: "You get your money's worth out of grandmas." You'll also get your money's worth from Glorious Grandparenting.

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