Don't turn your parents into... 'housekeepers'!

"Being close to grandparents is the best feeling" is a common saying among many young couples who live with or near their grandparents. After having children, they receive unconditional help from their grandparents. However, many young couples naively delegate childcare and all household chores to their grandparents, turning them into nothing more than "housemaid."

(AI)

In modern life, it's a reasonable choice for young couples to ask their grandparents to look after their children so they can focus on their work. However, this should only be considered a temporary solution, as childcare is very demanding and a burden for older people .

As they get older, grandparents need rest and to take care of their health. Furthermore, most grandparents tend to care for and educate children based on the experiences of their generation, many of which are no longer relevant today.

In particular, children who are not with their parents when they are young suffer a great disadvantage and will be less attached to their parents. Therefore, if they live together or nearby, couples can ask grandparents to help with childcare, but the primary responsibility still rests with the parents.

If grandparents are still healthy, you can ask them to look after the children, play with them, and take them to and from school, but you can't leave all childcare responsibilities to them, and you certainly shouldn't turn them into "housekeepers" by entrusting them with all the cooking, cleaning, and other household chores.

Grandparents need time to rest, visit friends and neighbors, attend religious services, etc. Ideally, they should have serious and frank conversations with their children and delegate responsibilities. Grandparents should only support their children and grandchildren to a certain extent, not act as their "servants." Children need to understand and be very empathetic towards their parents because, in their old age, parents need rest and time to live happily and healthily.

Nguyen Thi Hai

Source: https://baolongan.vn/dung-bien-cha-me-thanh-nguoi-giup-viec--a194763.html