Reply to Millennials feel 'abandoned' by parents not available to help raise grandkids: 'Too busy'

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Reply to "Millennials feel 'abandoned' by parents not available to help raise grandkids: 'Too busy'"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think it’s clear that the whole notion that families should move to different edges of the country and fend for themselves doesn’t work. This isn’t really evident until you have kids . . . I moved from DC to a smaller town where people tend to have local family (and where I have family). It’s better to have grandma than a babysitter, but it’s also nice to be close enough to help when grandma has medical issues. No amount of hiring/outsourcing can replace the ease/comfort of family. [/quote]

Totally agree with you. Where I grew up wasn't really a small town but the educational opportunities were either gigantic monolith state schools where years in you most likely wouldn't get into the major of your choice or school so small no one even in state has ever heard of them. I also didn't get into the one really good school somewhat nearby. [/quote]

I agree that the real issue isn't Boomer grandparents but the lack of support in general for families with two working parents. As a Gen X, many things have changed since I was a kid, including more families with two working parents, workloads that are inconsistent and intrude into what should be non-working hours, longer commutes, and inconsistent school calendars with many random days off and hours that don't align with work hours, etc. The typical DCUM response to parents who complain about how difficult it is to manage their jobs and parenting responsibilities is to say, "You should not have had kids you can't afford," as if anyone who lacks the ability to employ a household staff should be childfree. In truth, outsourcing household and childcare responsibilities presents an additional burden. There has to be a better way because the expectation that each family can make it without outside help is unrealistic.[/quote]

The fact that you think millennials invented dual income families, jobs with long hours and after hour responsibilities, long commutes, and school calendars/hours that don't align with office hours is why people make fun of millennials. I don't know where you grew up, but, my boomer parents in a UMC community in a major metro area dealt with all of this, without any family support. Most of my friend's parents were the same. I don't think boomers are perfect, but, this idea that they had everything easy and now it is so much harder is simply not true. I'm genx born in 1973. I have so much more flexibility than either of my parents did (for most of their career).[/quote]

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