Shropshire Woman

Jackie Jarvis writes

Life is hard enough for working mums faced with a daily uphill battle and the guilt trip of successfully juggling a career with parenthood. 

Add into the equation the escalating costs of childcare and it can sometimes feel that you are simply earning a crust in order to provide a haven for your little ones during their formative years, while you cautiously safeguard your own future in the job market.

No wonder then that many mothers, who are lucky enough to have their parents living nearby, are turning to 'grandma' and 'grandpa' to help share the financial and emotional burden of caring for their precious cargo.

There's nothing wrong with that, as far as I can see. Years ago, when families were less fragmented, due mainly to a lack of mobility, we tended to live very much in each other's pockets.

Extended families, residing in close proximity to each other, meant there was always someone on hand to care for little Johnny if he got sick, or if his mother had to go out to work.

So I was somewhat taken aback when I read a recent report which claimed that some babies looked after by their grandparents, while mum and dad went out to work, might be better off in nurseries or creches - all well and good if you can afford the high costs of these types of childcare, but very few of us are in the big bucks money league these days.

It went on to say that, whilst grandparents can help develop a baby's vocabulary, they may not be providing other educational and social experiences needed by an infant.

The University of London study also found that some children placed in the care of grandparents were considered to have more behavioural problems by the age of three than those who had spent their early years in a nursery, creche, with a childminder, nanny or other family member.

I believe that grandparents can enrich a child's life, and vice versa

Bearing in mind that we're all having to watch our pennies at the moment and that by taking on the care of their grandkids, whether for occasional babysitting duties or on a more regular footing, grandparents are saving their own children thousands of pounds, providing a lifeline for their cash-strapped offspring. 

Another nationwide poll amongst 1,500 grandparents showed that a parent who works full-time with a pre-school child can save £6,144 each year by asking their own parents to act as childminders. 

Don't get me wrong, a professional childminder can be worth his or her weight in gold, but we can't afford to discount our own parents in the equation.

Motherhood, I've discovered, is for life and no matter how old your children, the nurturing instinct never seems to dissipate. Looking after grandchildren is often an extension of your own parental duties and one that is joyfully undertaken, in many cases.

And far from holding the youngsters back I believe that grandparents can enrich a child's life, and vice versa.

Because they have a vested interest in their offspring's welfare grandparents will go the extra mile to ensure that their charges receive the best of care, in a secure environment which can also be highly stimulating with trips to the playgroup to interact with their peers and days in the great outdoors.

 
Far from damaging children, a grandparent can offer another dimension to their development, all served up with masses of love.