HARD WORK BUT WE ARE SO CLOSE
Mums and dads are relying on their parents to help look after children and save on costs
Western boot, office.co.uk RAISING children can be tough – but some lucky parents have their own mums and dads to help them out.
A report from Age Scotland revealed that a third of Scots grandparents aged over 50 – about 370,000 – have provided regular childcare for their grandchildren.
One in seven look after their grandchildren at least once a day and almost one in 10 has given up work or cut their hours to help with childcare.
Research by insurers Ageas shows this saves UK parents a total of £16billion a year in childcare costs – or £1786 a year per family.
Many grandparents also help out with the cost of clothes and toys for their grandkids – and not just at Christmas and birthdays. Others even stump up for family holidays.
But while granny childcare is a great help for parents, what do grandparents get out of it?
Research by website Gransnet has found that of those who have quit work to help out with their grandkids, 80 per cent of them say their sacrifice is worth it and more than half say they’re happier spending time with the youngsters.
Gransnet editor Lara Crisp said: “Most grandparents who help out with childcare relish the opportunity to spend more time with their grandchildren and find it helps them build a strong relationship with them.
“They’re also aware of the demands on modern families – in particular expensive childcare – and are for the most part happy to help out if they can.
“However, in some cases they feel they’re taken for granted, so open discussions are needed to manage everyone’s expectations.”
But it’s not all good – 17 per cent say they’re financially unstable as a result and four per cent say they were happier when they were working.
So here’s what Gransnet forum users say are the pros and cons of looking after grandchildren. ELAINE Smurthwaite works four days a week but every Monday looks after her granddaughters Lily, six, and Chloe, two.
When her daughter Fiona started a family, Elaine offered to cut her full-time hours as head of resources at Age Scotland to help with the childcare.
Elaine, 60, of Musselburgh, East Lothian, said: “I offered to help in order to save them a day of nursery fees and Age Scotland were able to accommodate that.
“Every couple has to work nowadays and the financial constraints on young couples are huge.
“I am at a time in my life when we could afford for me to drop a few hours to help.
“You can’t measure the bond that I have with Lily and Chloe.
“We are very close and they have the security of knowing that every Monday – Grandma Monday they call it – I’ll be there taking Lily to school while Chloe and I do whatever we need to do.
“And it keeps you very fit. It is hard work, no doubt about it.
“When it’s somebody else’s children, there is that added responsibility.
“At the end of the day when I hand them back to my daughter and her husband, there is that sigh of relief.”