continued...

Advice when asked, none when not.
A good tip for life's interactions in general, but especially so when a baby is in the picture. Remember all that "helpful" advice your mother-in-law (and even your own mother) dispensed when you had your first baby? Admit it. Rather than perceived as encouragement or support, the "tips" were typically interpreted as judgment and disapproval. When advice is sought, craft your responses thoughtfully. New mama hormones can impact how things are heard!

Be a buffer.
Sleep deprivation is a method of torture. When the phone is ringing incessantly and the knocking on the door is constant, the new parents may be missing the few opportunities they have for precious rest. Callers by phone and in-person mean well in those early days home, but their timing may be less than ideal. Ease your children's duress and feelings of social responsibility (with their permission, of course) by running interference with their friends...even if it means being a tyrannical gatekeeper and message taker.

Pass the parenting baton.
The newborn is your grandchild, not your baby. Don't insist on being a third parent.
Enjoy the privilege of watching the new parents find their family footing. Offer copies of books your one-time baby enjoyed as a child. Create a family-tree document with names of all known ancestors. Take the time to write down family traditions. Pass it all on.

No present like your presence.
Be there. For as long as they need you. You may be a new grandma, but you will always be Mama.