The Art of Spoiling.

There is a theme park close to our Buckinghamshire hideout. It's part of a chain that caters for young children before they are old enough for the likes of Thorpe Park or Alton Towers. Attached to this theme park is a dinosaur park and open farm. We took our two and a half year old grandson there last Saturday along with his dad. It was a gloriously sunny day and we had a really good time. Our grandson wasn't really interested in the animals, at that age they just like to run around in circles and test their parents resolve by being as wilful as possible but we all had fun.

I have to admit that I wasn't tickled pink with the idea of becoming a grandad. Whilst I was happy for the mother and father, I was disturbed by the landmark of becoming old and the negative connotations. I brooded on whether I should put away my guitars, get a pipe and some slippers and take up gardening while sucking on Werther's Originals. Once I realised this attitude was clearly tosh and gave myself a stiff talking-to, I got used to the idea.

The thing about being a grandparent is that you get all the fun without all the hard work. Anyone with children will tell you they need constant attention and every move has to be watched for fear of disaster or mishap. As a grandparent you get to do all the spoiling, go on rides and play with them and, as soon as things get sticky, you just hand them back. Grandparents don't have any responsibilities involving healthy diets, discipline or nappy changing. Some grandmothers can't help interfering and taking over the parenting role, which is a mistake in my opinion, you should let your kids get on with it and provide guidance when they ask. Then again there is the unspoken favourite granny competition which is rife in most families. Most sensible grandads stay out of this particular bloody and bitter battle.

All our parents were invaluable when we were bringing up our children but we had no idea of the depth of feeling involved and their motives for it. We thought they were just being helpful because that's what was expected of them. Had they tried to explain it I wouldn't have understood. It's like being a teenager when someone tells you that it's just a phase, you can't actually see the truth until you are in your twenties and watch someone else go through it. I thought I was done with phases. It makes me wonder how many more of life's great enlightenments are hidden round the corner.

It's possible to enjoy your grandchildren more than your own children because you don't have the worry, the unrelenting demands and you don't have to carry round enough kit for a small army. This weekend was particularly poignant because the little chap was in an hospital intensive care unit three weeks ago suffering from a mystery illness. We were expecting the worst or the possibility of serious long term damage but, by a miracle of modern medicine, he made it through unscathed. The doctors still haven't found the cause of his illness but he is a very lucky boy and we are a very lucky family.