Becoming a grandparent brings joy and responsibility – and a chance to use our voices for change. From climate action to social justice, older generations have the power to shape a better future, says Lesley Morrison.

We’re all Jock Tamsin’s bairns, we’re all part of the human family, we’re all interconnected. Never do you feel this more than when you become a parent, or, in my case, a grandparent, and witness the extraordinary power of tiny babies to elicit smiles from strangers.

Becoming a parent or a grandparent is a privilege; it connects you with the cycle of life and opens you up to strong emotions and to bonds with other generations and cultures. It can make you feel vulnerable and also strong. It can give you a sense of purpose. What does the future hold for this tiny being in my arms? How can I protect her or him? What can I do to make the world a safer place?

At one of the recent demonstrations against asylum seekers in a hotel in Falkirk, a woman held a placard, “My grand-daughters matter”. Presumably she felt that the lives of her granddaughters were in some way being compromised by the presence of asylum seekers in her town? Of course her granddaughters matter; all grandchildren matter. My daughter gave birth, eight weeks ago, to a beautiful little baby girl; I now belong to a worldwide network of grandparents who would do just about anything to care for and protect their grandchildren.

When the world is a very uncertain place with threats posed by the climate emergency and political turmoil how can we, the elders in society, use our voices........

© Herald Scotland