Babysitting Grandkids Isn’t Just a Godsend for Parents

When your children have children, it can be difficult not to overstep your bounds. That said, your help is desperately needed. (Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock)

A new study comparing Asian and Western societies has found that strong grandparent-child relationships can bring reciprocal benefits for the whole family, helping not only parents but also keeping grandparents’ minds sharp and dementia-free.

University of South Australia’s Emeritus Professor Marjory Ebbeck examined intergenerational relationships in her study spanning Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong and found that in many Asian cultures, grandparents are very integrated into family life.

“Grandparents are often living with their children and playing an active role in their grandchildren’s education and development,” Ebbeck said.

While this undoubtedly means potential childcare—it also delivers significant value to grandparents by boosting their self-worth, social connections, and wellness.

“In return, children enjoy a close and respectful relationship with grandparents, with the opportunity to learn more about their family, culture, and stories,” Ebbeck said.

In Hong Kong and Singapore, there is still a strong Confucian tradition of filial piety and respect for the elderly.

“This can lead to grandparents having a stronger sense of identity and purpose. These increased intergenerational interactions also provide more social connections for grandparents,” she said.

In contrast, through necessity, many elderly Australians spend their later years away from their families, with many of them in aged care homes.

“As a result, they’re often lonely and less involved with the grandchildren,” Ebbeck said.

Babysitting your grandkids may improve your life expectancy and cognitive skills. (Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock)

Ebbeck says close intergenerational ties could support both Australia’s oldest and youngest citizens.

“The grandparent-grandchild relationship isn’t a new phenomenon, but an increase in women in the workforce, the high cost of childcare and a range of other factors have seen many grandparents become critical caregivers,” Ebbeck said.

“In an ageing society, where more parents are working longer, we must find ways to create synergies across generations.”

An earlier study of postmenopausal women in Australia found that babysitting grandkids just once a week helped keep Alzheimer’s at bay as interacting with talkative toddlers fired up neurons in the regions of their brain responsible for symbolic, mathematical, and verbal abilities.

A Berlin study of more than 500 participants aged 70 and above also found that babysitting grandparents were able to improve their life expectancy.

The researchers found that the risk of dying over a 20-year period was one-third lower for grandparents who cared for their grandchildren than those who did not provide childcare.

A few of Australia’s pioneering employers, such as Westpac, Investa, Pitcher Partners, and Australian National University, have introduced grandparental leave policies to offer greater financial support for new parents and new grandparents, recognising that it really does take a village to raise a child.

They offer five days of paid leave or up to 12 months of unpaid leave to help care for a grandchild.