Quote:
Originally Posted by syracusa
The country I am coming from has good use for "older people": when mothers have to work (which most do) "older people" very much enjoy being hands-on grandparents, being a real part of their children and grandchildren's lives without CHARGING cold cash for baby-sitting.
It's called natural social support, the cycle of life. By contrast, most grandparents I have seen here are in constant search of their "personal selves" and just assume that their children will have to budget somehow to figure out a way to "raise their own children"...by paying strangers to do childcare! Offering some hands-on support is looked at with "are you crazy?" eyes? "That's just not what it's done around here".
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Distance is another factore here...folks like to move, none of my kids grandparents are close enough to spend much time with them at all
But even if they were, I honestly heard one grandmother say "I did my time, I am out of that whole kid business'.... poor grandkids.
One of the greatest ills IMO is separating the very young from the very old...