Gina Heslop
Grandmas sometimes have to make tough choices between helping their families by babysitting and having time for themselves. Here are four true stories that show how hard these decisions can be:
- The Overbearing Rules Dilemma: A grandma was asked to watch her son’s kids while their mom went to work. But the daughter-in-law had a lot of strict rules, like only feeding the kids vegetarian food and no TV time. The grandma felt overwhelmed and lonely without her usual social life, so she said no to babysitting.
- Financial vs. Familial Duties: Another grandma was asked to care for her newborn grandchild so her daughter could go back to work. But she felt she was too old for that responsibility again. She suggested getting paid for babysitting, but it made the daughter consider daycare instead because of the extra cost.
- The Petty Revenge: One grandma got fed up with feeling unappreciated, so she let her grandkid nap for way too long, messing up the parents’ nighttime routine. It was her way of showing that grandparents do a lot and shouldn’t be taken for granted.
- Choosing Rest Over Responsibilities: A 56-year-old grandma decided to put her own rest first over babysitting her grandson during her vacation. Even though her daughter was struggling financially as a single mom, the grandma knew she needed time for herself too.
Being a grandma isn’t always easy. Sometimes they have to say no to babysitting because they need time for themselves or because they feel overwhelmed by strict rules.
It’s important to appreciate all that grandparents do and to understand that they need their own time too.
