When we grew up, our parents automatically assumed that they were finished with the day-to-day child care responsibility. After we got married and have children, they are again responsible for these small little children. In Singapore, it’s quite common for grandparents to take on the role of caregivers to their grand children.
The contributions of grandparents to the family are extraordinary. Besides keeping their grandchildren safe and sound, they also make their children’s job of parenting a lot easier. They lend us their sympathetic ears when we are upset. They take care of our children when we desperately need a break. They know every study of children development and they provide valuable advice and support to us.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s fair to transfer the child care responsibility to our parents, who have done those 30 years ago. They should be enjoying their freedom and social life, ready to ease into a life of quietness and leisure, instead of running after the grandchildren. I seriously doubt that I’ll enjoy taking care of Edison’s children 30 years later.
Therefore, I really appreciate and grateful to my parents-in-law for helping me to take care of Little Edison. They take on this huge responsibility simply because they love us. We all know the enormous and emotional strain in raising young children, even on a good day when they are co-operative. These difficulties are doubled or trippled when we approach 50, 60 or 70 years of age.
My mother is the main caregiver of my brother’s son. Though her health problems start to surface, she still provides support my brother with all her strength. All that we can do is to employ a domestic helper to ease their burden and to provide an additional pair of hands when required.
These grandparents are heroes, providing love and care to their grandchildren who would have otherwise being cared for by strangers in child care centers.
Let’s give a big THANK YOU to our parents and parents-in-law for their excellent job in taking care of our kiddos!