Familie ist Solidaritätsgemeinschaft

Grandparents who look after their young grandchildren are more likely to have the favour returned in old age. This is the not-too-surprising discovery of a study by researchers at the University of Haifa in Israel. Even little things, like occasional baby-sitting for a few hours, were enough to make grandchildren in the study express the desire to take care of their grandparents as they aged. And they actually did help with day-to-day things like transportation, shopping, nursing care, emotional support and visits.
Although granddaughters expressed a stronger desire to help their grandparents, there was no noticeable difference between sexes in the actual assistance offered. The study also showed that, "while the grandchildren felt an emotional connection to past experiences, grandparents need to feel that they are also helping their grandchildren in the present", said the authors. The research showed that "it is possible to build a programme of care which includes the entire family', they said. ~ Haifa University/Newswire, July 3


A survey by a British building society found that half of working parents depend on grandparents to share childcare and reduce costs. One in five women said the help of grandparents made it possible for them to return to work. Nearly half the 1000 adults interviewed said grandparents could always be relied on, while two-thirds said they liked the reassurance of knowing their child was in a loving environment. ~ BBC News