About Becoming ‘Mummu’ (Grandmother)

I am passionate about building social capital for my community, the world community and the humanity at large. This passion shows in many ways. Due to recently becoming a grandmother, I now have a passion for finding out how to be a good ‘mummu’.

Currently I am researching the available academic literature on the subject, asking questions about grand motherhood from all my friends and colleagues and applying all this into everyday practice. I am determined to be a ‘mummu’ with everything it means, taking into account my cultural background, (Finnish), my academic background in philosophy and history and my current connections with the world of nonprofit and philanthropic business, community development and community services.

The warning is out there. It is possible to go to extremes with this subject. I am totally delighted to do so; going overboard and to eccentrics is the main endeavour in creating healthy grandchildren and having fun in the process.

I have started ‘Iidan Kirja’ (Iida’s Book), which is a memory book for my granddaughter about her Finnish heritage. I have joined GenesUnited to explore her family genealogy and done Google Scholar searches about the famous people with her name and decided on a project on multicultural grandparenting in the Australian context. I have purchased a picture frame, an analogical way of preserving the changing images of my granddaughter, and I have a ‘bragging album’ to show her pictures to everyone, who just might mention her name in any context, anywhere, anytime. Last but not least, I am applying the “strategic planning’ method to grandparenting, like all the good new Baby Boomers are supposed to do according to Edwards and Stearne’s book on Intentional Grandarenting: Contemporary guide (Edwards & Sterne, 2008).

This is just how a grandmother should be, I’ve heard. I am doing it all! My ‘mummu’ did it, my grandmother did it, my mother is doing it as an greatgrand ‘isoäiti’ and I will do it as yet another generation of women is embracing the grandmotherhood in their own time, in they own way, in their own style, in their own language. And I’ll continue as more grandchildren appear.

Reference :
Edwards, P., & Sterne, M. J. (2008). Intentional Grandparenting: a contemporary guide. Toronto: Fulcrum Publishing.