Taking care of children is challenging during the pandemic. The situation is particularly challenging for working mothers who balance their time between their children and work. But grandparents can lighten the load since they can help take care of the children, especially if they are already retired.
Instead of leaving their children to a babysitter, parents can leave them with the children’s grandparents. Grandparents have an important role to play in the lives of young children. Aside from being caregivers, grandparents can also teach their grandchildren and play with them. Here are the ways grandparents can help in taking care of the children.
Financial Supporter
Aside from taking care of their grandchildren, some grandparents go the extra mile and help the parents with their finances. This is particularly true if the child’s parents are not financially stable. Some grandparents help with the daycare expenses, clothing, sports equipment, and food, among others.
They either buy from thrift shops or, if they are well-off, specialty shops. Some grandparents also teach their grandchildren the value of money. They also bring the grandchildren to a store and give them money that they can use for their family.
There are also instances when grandparents pay for their grandchildren’s college tuition to relieve the burden on their parents.
Play Buddy
Aside from helping in the parents’ finances, grandparents also spend a lot of time playing with their grandchildren. Grandparents always want to be a part of the lives of their grandchildren. And they get excited whenever they get an invitation to a family event.
They want to have a lot of quality time with them, and whenever their grandchildren visit them, they make time for them. While grandparents feel elated whenever their grandchildren drop by for a visit, the visit also positively affects the grandchildren.
Research has shown that when children spend quality time with their grandparents, they have lesser behavioral and emotional problems. So, families should visit the grandparents, including those living in nursing homes, to spend quality time with them. These facilities allow families to visit residents so they can interact and strengthen their family bond. They also have outdoor seating facilities to allow them to spend time together while having a breath of fresh air.
Parental Life Adviser
Grandparents have a lot of experiences that they pass on to their children. Grandparents are a good source of advice for the parents of young children. This is particularly true for new parents who are still learning the ropes in taking care of a child.
They are a good source of parenting information, and most parents trust the advice that their parents give. Grandparents are also helpful when dealing with a frantic situation that parents have to deal with when it comes to their children.
Grandparents can also advise teenage grandchildren to deal with a situation that they do not want their parents to know. They can advise their grandchildren on the best thing that they can do to resolve a sticky situation.
Childcare Provider
Grandparents are also the first persons that many parents look for when they need someone to care for their children. And when parents call them, most grandparents are eager to take care of their grandchildren while the parents are at work. Grandparents take care of around 25 percent of children under five years old while their parents attend school or work.
Even though most grandparents take care of their grandchildren, many of them know that it is challenging at times. They can have small disagreements with the parents on raising their children. Despite this challenge, many grandparents look forward to taking care of their grandchildren.
Teacher
Grandparents also act as the teacher of their grandchildren and want to play a role in how they grow and learn. They are enthusiastic whenever the parents call them for help. But the lessons they teach are not the same ones their grandchildren learn in school. Instead, they teach their grandchildren about cultural traditions through stories.
The special connection between grandparents and young children is not easy to quantify. But grandparents help children become confident of themselves. They also help them deal with stress. Grandparents also reinforce the lessons that the parents of their grandchildren teach.
They encourage their grandchildren to reach their potential, which helps build self-esteem. Additionally, grandparents are the personal cheering squad of grandchildren in what they love to do.
Grandparents have a special role to play in the lives of their grandchildren. They teach them lessons in life that they cannot learn from school.
