Grandparents step up and look after their children’s children for many reasons, but the cost of commercial childcare is the most common one.

Grandparents are saving parents more than $100 million in childcare costs, based on census figures, but what the data doesn’t tell us is how willing some grandparents are to take on that enormous responsibility. 

Depending on their age and state of health, taking on childcare duties could be a real joy or a major chore for some grandparents.

Those who were looking forward to a quieter life in retirement or pursuing their own interests may not be enthusiastic about this growing trend.

Theirs is sometimes a reluctant role, only accepted because grandparents know how hard it can be for women to get back into the workforce after having children, and how expensive childcare is, regardless of whether it’s a one or two-income home.

This all-in-the-family approach to childcare is to a significant degree a response to how hard it is for young families to get ahead in an economy where there is not enough affordable childcare.

GRANDPARENTS CHEAP BABYSITTERS

And while many grandparents may look back fondly on their babysitting duties in those pre-school days, some parents are not fortunate to have that level of support close by.

What happens to the young families who for employment reasons may want to move away from the support network of grandparents? The decision to move or stay close to family should not have to be made on the basis of grandparents performing unpaid childcare work.

Done willingly and at manageable levels, caring for grandchildren in those early years would indeed be precious time, but too often it seems a role taken on out of sheer economic necessity or inadequate allocation of childcare resources by government.