Millennials say boomer parents not helping enough with child care: report

Find us on social media:

We’re abc7NY, also known as Channel 7 and WABC-TV on TV, home to Eyewitness News, New York’s Number 1 news. We hope you love us on YouTube as much as you do on television!

NEW TIPS:

#nyc #millennials #shorts

[falloutfan-cmts]

I became a grandparent at 49, and was the childcare for 4 grandchildren to help my daughter and son in law. My son had his first child at 40yrs and we are now 69 and 70yr. We just don't have the go power that we had for the first 4 children and can't watch them all day 5 days a week. We don't love them any less but the body just can't do it anymore.

[OriginalMeanGirl]

I do not expect my parents or in laws to babysit. It's a wonderful break when they do and I greatly appreciate it. My parents already raised their children so I will do the same!

[pleasetakemecanada]

I'm genx my parents are boomers...I've never had a close relationship with my stoic dad but I learned early that he worked really hard and provided so much. We were a lower- middle class family but I still see him as the best man I've ever met..

[berniematejka]

Expecting the same kind of help from an 80 year old you could have gotten from a 60 year old is crazy.

[nancyjahn]

30 years working in a nursing home don’t recall lots of young people coming to visit…….

[KR-yuev]

Well if they are waiting longer to have children…. Parents are older….. can’t expect them to have the same energy to help.

[kellyclarke]

The oldest boomers are almost 80. The youngest boomers are 60 years old. I am 62 years old and cannot afford to retired. I don't have the energy to raise grandchildren and work full time. I can spend time but not everyday.

[josiesan]

Grandparents babysitting is an option not mandatory.

[anntass]

I help with my grandkids since day 1. I am blessed to be grandma because I never had one! It makes my heart happy to be there everyday!!

[cynthiagonzalez]

If the grandparents are too old they can't be expected to run around and carry the kids.

[Laura-ewdj]

I’m Gen X. My parents barely were interested in what I was doing. When I had kids, I remembered this fact. There was no way in hell I’d trust them with my kids knowing how blasé they were as parents. Now my kids have kids and I have a great relationship with my grandkids but they definitely know that I am not their parent. The parents parent and me and my husband grand parent. We aren’t nannies or baby sitters.

[moddie]

I am in my 50's, My late husband and I already raised our own children, though I am not a grandmother yet, I have explained to my adult children; I am NOT a built in babysitter. I plan to work until I'm 65-68 years old ( out of necessity). I will be involved, assist and help whenever I can and I look forward to my future grandchildren spending the night, every now and again when their parents may need a date night when I am not working, but their children will be their responsibility. In today's economy, I have to work.

[logoseven]

If you don’t raise your kids right, you’ll raise your grandkids too.

[betholschowka]

Do people require or demand that the grandparents help raise their own children? When you have children, that decision is yours, not your parents. It is both an honor and privilege to have a long, rich relationship with your elders. I was in my late thirties and still had fairly active great-grandparents, but nobody demanded that anyone be in a position they didn't want or couldn't do.

[unknowndrummer]

The only generation in existence that had it better than their parents and their kids

[yaramercedes]

Social economical agendas have made it nearly impossible for the community to be able to help raise a child.

[Ravi]

I'm a Boomer and MY long deceased grandparents had four children and considered them as 'time served'.
My grandparents were there, loved and well remembered by the cousins,
but their later life was not to be the safety net for their children.

[maryannsarkady]

My daughter finished her MBA before becoming a mom and I moved back to our home state and have been very much a part of my grandchildren’s lives, sleepovers, shopping, lunch together, clothes shopping, during covid I had them 5 days a week and helped home school them, we text as often as their busy sports schedules allow letting them know they are being thought of and how much I love them. I send them cards with money or gift cards for their favorite video games ( approved by mom and dad) I often drive up there (45 minutes) to sit with them when mom has to leave for work early, we play games etc. i love being a Grammy !

[bettypearson]

Boomer here. Never had free childcare from either set of grandparents. Most of my boomer acquaintances also had little or no assistance from our parents.

For my grandkids I would schedule vacation days to be able to fill in for my own grandkids. I have enjoyed being able to help reduce the stress in their lives.

However, as time went on it went from them asking if I could take time off to watch them to them texting dates saying I needed to take time off to watch the kids. This included taking time off so they could go on vacations without the kids.

Once they no longer needed childcare services I was excluded from family activities including birthday and holiday events. Now I receive text messages wishing me well on holidays and even though I live 6 miles away have been told they are too busy for us to get together. It has been 9 months since I have seen any of them.

Such is life.

[nuunyabizzness]

It could also be that the younger generations don't want their boomer parents raising their kids the same way 🤷‍♀️ I know plenty of gen X-ers who didn't & don't want their boomer parents around their kids much because of how they grew up. They don't let them watch them alone or stay overnight, and that's not just the parents. Most people I know unfortunately had traumatic events with their parents abuse or negligence, understandably they don't want their kids to have to endure the same traumas.