By Richard Branson
I’ve worn many different hats in my life, from entrepreneur to adventurer, but family man is by far my favourite. While I’m incredibly proud of the 400-plus Virgin businesses we’ve built, I’m most fulfilled in my role as a husband, father and now grandfather.
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Watching my children grow up into smart, caring and capable adults has been an absolute joy, but nothing compares to experiencing them become parents themselves.
My daughter Holly and son-in-law Freddie welcomed twins Etta-Belle and Artiejust before Christmas, and my son Sam and daughter-in-law Bellie welcomed baby girl Eva-Deia in February – making me and my wife Joan grandparents three times over in a matter of weeks. Our whole family is on a high, and we have been trying to spend every moment we can together.

Joan and I were in London for all three births; welcomed the twins on their first holiday to Necker a few weeks ago; and just this weekend enjoyed a special family gathering at our childrens’ homes in Oxford. Now we’re all spending time together in Verbier. As my Uncle Charlie says: have nappies, will travel!
I may be new to this grand-dude gig, but I’m learning fast. I see life as one big long university education, and this phase is teaching me so many lovely lessons. As a parent it’s easy to get caught up with all the stresses of childrearing, and get lost in everything you think you’re doing wrong, but as a grandparent you can take a step back and observe the fun little things.

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Like the gift of smiling. I’m an optimist who’s rarely seen without a grin on my face, but discovering smiling with a child is very special. I’ve spent the last three months laughing, smiling and joking with my grandchildren – it’s a great way to interact, communicate and share love. A smile can prompt a smile, which can turn into a giggle, extend into a laugh, and bring happiness to an entire room. It’s no secret that a baby who experiences a lot of smiling and laughter will grow up to be happier than if they were to be left alone in a cot.
As I recently wrote, it’s difficult to train a smile in an adult, but you can nurture happiness and fun in a baby, which will result in a happy smiling child and in turn a positive adult.
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There’s so much we can teach babies, but there’s so much we can learn from them too. I’m certainly looking forward to learning more.
On the topic of learning… has anyone discovered a good burping/feeding method for grand-twins?