Whether you do the school run every morning or have your grandchildren to stay for the odd night so that their parents can paint the town red – or catch up on sleep – we want to hear from grandparents in the UK about the ways in which they look after their grandchildren.
A recent article in The Atlantic posited that older Americans might be doing more grandparenting than ever – and might be reaching their limit. Yet there is also a reputation that “boomers” are too busy playing golf, sipping cocktails and “laughing while their millennial children are suffering” to put in any grunt work with their offspring’s offspring.
What is the situation like in the UK? We’d like to find out. If you look after your grandchildren for short stints or days at a time, we want to know what type of care you provide, how the arrangement came about, as well as how you feel about it – the benefits as well as any potential downsides. Does it keep you on your toes? Does it feel like a necessity in a country where childcare is often cripplingly expensive? Does it ever, be honest, as much as you love your grandchild, feel like a burden?
Share your experience
You can share your experiences of helping with childcare as a grandparent using this form.
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Tell us a bit about yourself (e.g. age and what you do for a living)
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If you look after your grandchildren in any capacity, tell us about the arrangement and how it came about here
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What are the positives and negatives of helping with childcare as a grandparent?
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