I have joined Gransnet for one reason only...

No Galen - tee2072.

Who what, Galen ?

Who Phoenix?

personally am a granny, not a gran/nan/ grandma and my DD struggles to find granny card at all ! I am happy to get a granny card whatever the picture , as I love being one!

cant wait till she is old enough to make me one though

Rather dismissive, isn't she?

I realise that it's not often I make statements like this, but.......I think tee2072 has been INCREDIBLY RUDE !!

(And yes, I did mean to put it in shouty capitals!)

This great-grandmother is on holiday in NZ, so I have only just logged on!
I snorkel all over the world and live in an isolated village in the French Alps, where I walk alone for many miles up mountains. But I do love tea.
My daughters are both grandmothers, in their late 40's, and the one I am visiting here does kayaking, riding, cycling, running, camping.......
I think most of us appreciate courtesy, so perhaps that makes us seem a bit ancient!

tee sympathy. I understand. Shame.

tee2072
I am aware of your campaign on toys and I have posted a link to this earlier having picked it up from DDs facebook page. I fully agree
with that campaign. I can see your point about the cards as well. I haven't looked at those for a good few years.

I just had a lovely birthday card to NANNA from my very talented 5mnth old GS. He had put footprints on it and written very neatly inside!

Seriously the novelty of being a gran has not worn off and getting a very personalised card was lovely Thank you DD baby GS!

I am off to the Canaries on Saturday to look at the Geology. I could knit an unconformity.
Blank looks all round!

I love handmade cards but who cares what the percieved view of a grandmother is.. I knit, sew, do patchwork and other crafts and bake. I also go to Zumba, socialise, enjoy the theatre and I have swum with turtles, met stingrays and been on safari, sleeping in tents.I'm a Nanna and proud of it but a picture on a card does not define me.

Hey tee , I went on safari last autumn and Ecuador and Galapagos the year before - with Saga! I wonder if your gran was on the same trips?

I do knit and used to knit sweaters to make a bit of extra cash when the kids were young.

I hate pink and cards with sloppy verses inside.

My offspring usually buy me Moonpig type cards - generally rather rude or cheeky ones. I buy the Granny type ones for my mother now 88 but she mentally passed that age over 20 years ago.

I can't think of a slogan which would cover such a wide ranging bunch as the granny generation.

I don't know why anyone on Mumsnet should think those grannies who are also members of Mumsnet would recognise her name. There are thousands of them. I also don't see why we should bother with someone who just joins Gransnet to preach on one issue and teach us to suck eggs. CBA.

I think we expect a little more in the way of reasoned argument. But then we are not juggling with a toddler, a baby and a boob as well as an iPad, are we...

I always struggle with cards because I feel the need to give the 'right' card to that person, but very rarely go to a large shop to look for one. There's usually a small shop roundabouts that sells the sort of card I'm looking for; the last shop that I could always rely on suddenly went a bit tasteless but, thankfully another shop opened nearby that has filled the gap. Although the original shop does have an address of someone that makes embroidered cards to a specific design. I can't buy cards in advance, though [think it's bad karma] so usually have a panic around birthday/anniversary time. I'm sure that there are websites that provide unusual cards for specific occasions as well.

Think she's gone off in a MN huff!

Slushy I know but I just enjoy getting a card. I can't knit.

tee2072

I am a grandmother and wish I had the time to go to Africa and the Galapagos!

I do knit, which I have done since I was a child, I drink tea, I have got hair going white, but you will hardly find me in a comfy chair-too busy with my family.

I went into Waterstones a couple of days ago. It was full of merchandise for Mothers' Day – most of it to do with baking, mainly cupcakes, and almost all of it pink.

tee2072 While I can't speak for other grannies, my daughter played football and won athletics medals and also played with dolls and liked pretty clothes. My grandson dresses up as a fairy (not in pink, I have to say) and my granddaughter dresses up as a figure with superpowers (not exactly sure who).

It isn't clear from your OP what you want from Gransnetters. Could you please be more explicit and generally more coherent. "Yeah, it needs work" doesn't really cut the mustard. We mostly have sons and daughters who are your contemporaries, plus grandchildren, so we are not exactly out of touch.

Anyway, what a strange reason (one only!) to join Gransnet...

I can't knit! I hate tea and I do just sit in my comfy chair.
That's when I'm not preparing for or sitting on tribunals or going on cruises as far apart as the Panama Canal and Iceland.
Which means of course that I'm a typical complacecent white haired gran!
Well the white hair is right!

I knitted a lot more when I was 'just a mum' than I have done since I became a granny! But I confess that I still drink various kinds of tea and oh dear, I have silver hair! Maybe my DiY days are over but I think I can still, with much swearing, put together an Ikea object! My nearest and dearest wouldn't dare to send me one of those stereotyped cards - unless in the spirit of irony with a cheeky comment thrown in. Grrrrr

Well, I took it as stereotyping, probably because that is how I saw it, with the idea of a campaign to promote what we see as real Grans.

But yes, pink, Mother's Day etc etc. Oh dear.

Not sure whether this suggestion is about stereotyping generally, or about birthday cards. OP not really clear.
Look out for the wall to wall PINK mother's day cards though folks. Particularly in supermarkets.

Agreed about knitting, Mishap - I had meant to say something because I have seen the most incredible knitted artefacts. And I once knitted Aran sweaters for the whole family! Just once.

"buy" of course!