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Grandparents and childcare

(2 Posts)
Babs03 Wed 27-Aug-25 07:50:36

An interesting read here-
apple.news/A2nddsDwuTQW4rnTnZuWNeA

I remember looking after one of my GCs every week for two full days or more for over a year because my daughter had post natal depression and my SiL only got two weeks off when the baby was born. As well as this I spent time with one other GC, though luckily the third wasn’t born yet.
It was exhausting physically and emotionally because obviously I was so worried about my daughter’s mental health.
DH helped but is older than me and had health problems.
The thing is I was already in my mid to late sixties and my DH in mid seventies when our DDs had babies.
Now my DH has had a stroke and bleeds on the brain so am caring for him full time and do feel cheated because have spent so much time caring for others that I don’t think my needs have been addressed at all. Whereas my friends of a similar age were off on holidays or simply enjoying life in their older age this didn’t happen for us and now it can’t happen, or at least not in the same way.
Life is too short and I worry that some grandparents, especially those in their sixties and seventies or older, will find that once childcare duties are over it us too late to enjoy what life they have left.
Having said that we do love spending time with the GCs but childcare on a regular basis is a different matter.

Jaxjacky Wed 27-Aug-25 08:19:45

Couldn’t read the article without downloading Apple News.
However, I worked full time so couldn’t care for our grandchildren apart from occasional evening sitting. When I retired early so we could have some adventures abroad one child was in pre school and one in school, my daughter, a single parent works in a school, so holidays were covered.
My parents and in laws didn’t provide childcare for my children either, that was my responsibility.
I agree with your second to last paragraph Babs03