Nanas shed traditional image

GONE are the days when being a grandmother was all about knitting, baking and comfy armchairs. As more women give birth in their teens, grandmothers are often younger and more active. Tamzin Hindmarch and Lisa Stocks meet some modern nanas – and a 15-week-old uncle!

Debbie Windle is just getting used to being a nana after her teenage daughter Jessica gave birth five weeks ago.

And the arrival of baby Leo came just weeks after the 36-year-old's own baby, Jensen, making him an uncle at the age of 11 weeks.

Born in Stockport, Debbie now lives in Highfields Road West, Biddulph, with her husband Paul and their other children, Rebecca, 15, stepdaughter Tazmin, 15, Robert, 12, and Louise, four. She says that her family was close-knit – her nan lived in the same street – and she'd regularly pop round.

"I remember her hair was white and curly, and she used to have a blue rinse every month, except once when she came home with a pink one.

"She always wore a head-scarf and wheeled a shopping bag about, and at night she'd keep her false teeth in a glass of water by the bed."

A far cry from Debbie, with her long blonde locks and all her own teeth.

Though when 17-year-old Jessica revealed she was to become a grandma, she wasn't entirely surprised or concerned about her new role.

"I was about 16 weeks pregnant when she came into the kitchen and said she had something to tell me. It's one of those mum's instincts – I just knew what she was going to say.

"Growing up with lots of siblings, Jessica has been like a second mum and was always older than her years. She met her fiancé Nathaniel at school, so when they moved in together it seemed quite natural.

"It was all a shock at first, but they were excited about becoming young parents, so I was excited too.

Jessica, who lives in nearby Duke Street, says: "We'd been thinking about having a baby for a while, but I suppose I still braced myself for the initial shock of telling mum.

"Being the next generation, I see grandmas as totally different. My nan was 43 when I was born and I was used to seeing her with dyed, spiky hair, wearing T-shirts and jeans."

But Debbie admits her new grandma status will mean making some changes.

"Whereas normally I'd be out with my daughter clubbing," she says, "now for her 18th birthday I'll be playing grandma and staying at home to babysit.

"But we still love trying on clothes and going shopping together, and listening to Pink or Anastasia or anything we can dance about to.

"People are living longer so everything is changing. It's nice to think I can put on my high heels and make-up, then tell people I'm a grandma in 2008, knowing there's no stigma any more."

Jessica's grandma, 60-year-old Barbara Jackson, adds: "I have 10 grandchildren, though Leo is the first great grandson, though I laughed when I was told the two of them were pregnant at once.

"And I remember how my grandma would sit in a rocking chair, wear a clean pinny every day and boot slippers with a bobble on. It's nice to think my husband Brian and I will be able to spend time with our grandchildren and great grandchildren – and maybe live long enough to see Leo's children too."