Pros and cons of grandparental childcare

NOWADAYS, many working parents are seeking help from their parents to take care of their children. In some cases, parents are placing their children under the care of their grandparents in their hometown.

One of the main reasons behind this phenomenon is the need to adapt to the high cost of living, especially in urban areas.

In a study funded by the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, we talked to 396 Malaysian parents to discuss their experience of grandparental childcare. Their children were below 14 years of age.

While the parents had much to share about the benefits of having their parents’ support in caring for their children, they also highlighted some drawbacks to grandparental childcare. Following are five pros and five cons of grandparental childcare that these parents have shared with us.

The pros:

> Trust: Parents feel secure and can concentrate on their work knowing that their children are under the care of loving grandparents. The children themselves feel comfortable with the companionship of their grandparents.

> Family bonding: Spending time together allows grandparents and children to bond. Parents also have more opportunities to interact with their own parents as they share stories about the children’s activities.

> Security: Parents feel safe having grandparents as the childcare provider, especially during uncertain times such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Parents also feel less worried about food safety, as food is prepared by the grandparents.

> Convenience and flexibility: Compared with childcare centres where a fixed schedule applies, grandparental childcare support is a more convenient and flexible assistance for parents, especially for those who can only pick up their children after work.

> Opportunity to learn about customs and traditions: Children who interact with their grandparents can learn about traditions and values, and even local dialects, that are not taught in school.

The cons are:

> Over-protective grandparenting: Grandparents might spoil the grandchildren and be over-protective. Pampered grandchildren might override the control of their grandparents while over-protection may cause the children to be less independent.

> Different opinions in child- raising: Parents and grandparents may have different opinions and values in nurturing and raising children, leading to conflicts and arguments.

> Technology gap: This often exists between grandparents and grandchildren. The problem here is that grandparents might be unable to monitor their grandchildren’s screen time effectively. The technological gap might result in problems arising from lack of understanding between people of different generations.

> Lack of structured learning activities for children: Grand-parental childcare does not offer structured learning activities as the grandparents might have limited learning resources and teaching skills.

> Tiring for grandparents: As grandparents are much older, providing childcare support might be too tiring for them. Caring for their grandchildren would also deprive them of their freedom to socialise with their friends or interrupt their retirement plans.

Based on this feedback, it is evident that grandparental childcare has a role to play in our society, but we must never take it for granted.

ASST PROF DR GAN SU WAN

Department of Psychology and Counselling, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar, Perak

EMERITUS PROF PETER K. SMITH

University of London, Britain

PROF CHARISSA CHEAH SL

University of Maryland, Baltimore County, United States

DR TAN JO-PEI

Manchester Metropolitan University, Britain