The grandparent gap

It’s natural to assume that once you become a parent, your and your partner’s parents will want to be a major part of your child’s life, especially if your own childhoods were happy and you’ve maintained good relationships with your folks. Heartwarming images of sleepovers at Granny and Grandpa’s house filled with storytimes, cookie-baking and idyllic scenes from your own childhoods might come to mind. Except it should be even better, because grandparents are retired and have endless free hours to devote to your little ones, right?

Well, not necessarily. The reality is that grandparents are often keen to take a step back. This can be distressing, especially as the age of first-time parents (Hyperion), Allison Gilbert explains that in the USA alone, millions of children and their parents actually have less time with their grandparents. ‘In 1972, approximately 180 000 children were born to mothers aged 35 and older. By 2008, that number had more than tripled to 603 113 – a 235% increase,’ she writes.