THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD!

These three women show that there's no one way to be a great granny

- VERONIQUE HAWKSWORTH

I became a gran at 40!

Abbie Carr, 44, lives in Halifax and is a gran to Ryan-Jane, four.

Sitting on the sofa with my 19-year-old daughter Francesca, my eyes widened in anticipation. She had something big to tell me. I'm pregnant,' she announced nervously. It was December 2017, and Francesca had just split up with her boyfriend when she'd made the surprise discovery. It was a shock to her, and me.

At 39, I certainly never expected to be a gran so young - my youngest child was only six and after separating from my husband in 2016, I'd even entertained the idea of having more children in the future. But in that moment, finding out I was going to be a grandmother, the door to motherhood seemed to close and I was ready for the next chapter of my life.

BONDING TIME

Of course, I was excited to be a nan. Having been a young mum myself to Francesca, I could reassure her from my own experience. I'm here to help all the way,' I said, giving her a hug.

In July 2018 Ryan-Jane was born, four days after my 40th birthday. Having a baby in the house along with Francesca's two siblings was chaotic at times, but I loved every minute. Ryan-Jane already had plenty of toys to play with, and noisy kids to keep her entertained.

Francesca and Ryan-Jane lived with me until she was eight months old, which gave us a great opportunity to bond. And being a young nan meant I had energy in abundance to chase around after her, pick her up and also deal with the kicking and screaming tantrums as she got older.