The key answer of exercise 3

1

She feels too young to be called granny; she’s only 50! She’s very different to what her own grandparents were like, her life isn’t like the life her own grandparents had, and that’s who her ideas of what it means to be a grandparent are based on. Grandparents are traditionally supposed to be indulgent and to spoil their grandchildren, but she doesn’t seem to be the kind of person who believes in spoiling kids.

2

She doesn’t like it because it makes her feel old, and she is only 50 and has a career and social life, still travels and leads an interesting and independent life.

3

her grandmother (on her mother’s side)

4

• old, white-haired and wrinkly
• smoking a pipe
• spoiling grandchildren

5

He may help her stay up-to-date with changes in the world, and help keep her feeling young.

6

• career: she has a career / fought to have a career 
• wrinkly: her grandmother was wrinkly like a typical granny  
• childcare: as grandparents are fitter they can play a more active role in childcare 
• indulgent: the traditional role of grandparents is to be indulgent, but problematic because there is a need for discipline 
• a pipe: her only memory of her grandfather was that he smoked a pipe  
• active: can play a more active role in childcare 
• sacrifice: modern grannies have to make sacrifices to provide financial support  
• discipline: a lack of discipline produces spoilt children