I remember my grandparents were very social people. Once Grandpa retired, both Grandma and Grandpa joined the local Senior Citizen’s Club and the Lawn Bowls Club. You would never find them home during the day and most evenings were fully booked as well. They believed they had done their work, raising a family and working in paid employment, paying taxes for fifty years. They were entitled to the old age pension and their freedom to enjoy their later years.
Today, many grandparents are working, and will probably keep working, well past retirement age. Some love their work and because of the excellent medical knowledge and treatment, they are fit and well enough to do so. Some have to work to keep up the level of lifestyle they want to enjoy. The old age pension doesn’t seem to go as far as it used to, or maybe we expect so much more than previous generations.
Many grandparents still enjoy very active social lives. Some manage to live out their lifetime dream of travel and live in mobile homes, campers or motels.
Sadly, some grandparents need to help their children raise their children. In most marriages these days, both partners have to work to pay off mortgages, car loans and education expenses. Many families can’t take the added expense of childcare, or childcare is not available, and so the grandparents step in to help.
Grandparents love the time they get to spend with their grandchildren but it is exhausting work for older people. It is sometimes a bit disappointing too, as they had dreamed of having time to do as they pleased, without the responsibility of caring for small children. Many find it difficult physically, to care for a child. They are not able to run after a playful toddler, dodge fallen toys, or to lift a well- fed infant from a low port-a-cot.
If they had to choose, most would still take on the responsibility of caring for their grandchildren, if only to be able to spend time with them. They remember how quickly their own children grew up, and how precious every moment was, yes, even when the children were being naughty. They are proud of their children and love having such an influence on the next generation. Often, having a child in the house gives everyone a new sense of the joy of life.
It’s not like when I was a child, mothers stayed at home to raise the children, fathers went to work, and grandparents visited friends or went to their clubs, but it’s not a bad thing. Every family is different but they still do whatever they can to support one another. That’s families!
