Nowadays, I am seeing many parents who are too busy because of their tight work schedule to spend much time with their kids. Some people, usually the ones who have more money, choose to hire a babysitter. Others rely on the availability of their parents, especially if they live in the same house with them, or close to them. Is this a good thing, is it a bad thing? It depends.
To find an answer, let’s begin by finding the root of this situation.
Young Parents
People are not perfect and, sometimes couples become parents at a very young age, such as 20, or even 18, even though society nowadays tends to make them marry over the age of 30. It is obvious that, when you are 20 years old and you make a baby, you are not fully mature yourself, so how can you properly educate someone else?
These very young parents are learning on the go how to be good parents for their children and then, they learn even more from their own mistakes. We could say that, luckily, there are parenting courses now, but how many are attending these courses?
Are Grandparents the Better Alternative?
It has been concluded from real-life situations, with children who were raised by their grandparents, that grandparents can be better teachers than parents because they are older and have more experience, and they are more mature, plus they have more time (or at least this is the assumption). This is the reason for which even parenting experts say that grandparents can be better parents for their grandsons and granddaughters.
The role of grandparents is very important in today’s society when parents are very busy, always on the run, struggling for their careers, and trying to provide the best for their children. Parents seem to have less time to spend with their children than ever and sometimes it is hard for them to give their offspring an optimal education.
Grandparents Are Not Nannies
Grandparents can be already retired so they may have plenty of time. There is one problem that may seem insignificant at first, but it proves to be a major issue in the long term. It may seem that grandparents have a lot of time, but the truth is they also need their own time to buy groceries from the market, to have appointments with their doctors, to take their medicine, to rest, to cook, and take care of themselves while they still can.
They can also take care of their nephews if this doesn't involve too much time daily. If it’s too much, they can lose their patience, as they may not respect their schedule. It may be great to leave your kids with the grandparents, but not excessively. They are not nannies after all. Parents must also respect their grandparents’ time and allow them to do their routine.
A balance must be found by parents between the time spent with children, the time spent at work, and the time that the children are assigned to their grandparents. If this balance is achieved, everything should be fine. Grandparents can be better parents than…parents because they have more experience.
