With the high cost of child care, grandparents are spending more time than ever with their grandkids, pushing a growing number of Baby Boomer grandparents into the child-rearing driver’s seat while mom and dad work.
Lesley Stahl of “60 Minutes” reports on the growing role of “granny nannies” who are helping to raise their grandchildren. It’s partly because childcare is so expensive and it’s partly because grandparents really want to be there.
A growing number of boomers are tightening the bonds of their extended family because it feels so good. One high profile example is Marian Robinson, Obama’s mother-in-law, who lives in the White House and is “granny nanny” to Sasha and Malia.
Sometimes it’s a second chance to do things differently from when the grandparents were parents and had to work. “When you’re a parent, time is your enemy,” says Tish Emerson, who is “granny nanny” to her teenage twin grandchildren. “When you’re a grandparent, you’re able to be more relaxed and let things flow.”
