Saturday, September 8, 2012

Most grandparents provide care for the grand-kids

Grandparent

Most grandparents babysit and provide financial support for grandkids as they try to save their children money and build stronger family connections, two new studies show.

Among findings, timed to Grandparents Day on Sunday:

•59% have at least one grandchild within 50 miles; 39% have one more than 500 miles away;

•62% have provided financial support to grandchildren in the past five years, averaging $8,289, primarily for investments and education;

•74% babysit or provide care weekly.

"People who were fairly advantaged were likely to babysit," says Waite. "That seems to be people who want to stay in touch with grandchildren and maybe want to give their kids a break."

But the 39% who didn't provide that level of babysitting doesn't mean they aren't involved grandparents, Waite says. Their grandkids may be teens or young adults and don't require it; some grandparents may be in poor health or physically unable to care for grandchildren, or they may live too far away to provide that level of direct care.

 "Grandparents are being asked to help financially and relieve the financial burden of child care, by taking care of their grandchildren," she says. "They have a tendency to be healthier and want to be involved in their grandchildren's lives. They're not as interested in moving away from their families. If anything, they would move to be closer to their grandchildren."

"They're the light of my life,"  "I just love having them here."

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