According to The Daily News of Western New York, more grandparents today are using their time in retirement living to help raise their young grandchildren, whose parents often have to work longer hours, or multiple jobs, to pay for their bills in a difficult economy.
“We help out in terms of running errands, babysitting, taking the grandkids to doctors' appointments, and for back-to-school shopping,” one grandparent, Doug Flockhart from Exeter, New Hampshire, told the news source. He and his wife Eileen are parents of five children, and they are helping to raise their seven grandchildren.
The Flockharts also help with medical bills for their grandchildren, and they told the media outlet while their responsibilities are not like a full-time job with daily responsibilities and obligations, they enjoy taking a major role in the raising of their grandchildren.
“It's not so much the day in and day out, it's the big picture as to how these young kids will grow up and pay for a college education and buy a house,” Doug Flockhart said.