Millennials feel 'abandoned' by parents not available to help raise grandkids: 'Too busy'
There's a growing intergenerational divide between millennial parents and their own parents, now at retirement age, over expectations of helping to raise grandkids.
www.foxnews.com
Some millennial parents say they feel “abandoned” by their baby boomer parents, who’ve chosen to travel in their retirement, rather than stay home and help raise their grandchildren, Business Insider found.
Growing up, Kristjana Hillberg remembers being regularly babysat by her grandmother when her parents traveled. But she often has to schedule visits with her parents or in-laws “months” ahead of time, she said.
Los Angeles-based psychologist and millennial mother Leslie Dobson explained many of her millennial clients develop resentment toward their parents because they feel like their parents have “chosen their life over meeting their grandchildren and building these relationships.”
“There’s almost like this three-fourth life crisis that they’re in,” she said of boomers. “And they’re really looking at this as, ‘Oh, my God, my life’s almost over. When is my last day, and how am I going to live my best life?'”
Dobson said she and her sisters were initially put off by their 71-year-old father’s decision to move to a luxury resort in Mexico. While they’ve come around to understand the decision, Dobson said they had hoped their father would be more available to help raise their kids.
Ted Dobson didn’t seem to agree with his daughter’s assessment of his life choices. The father told Business Insider that he still makes an effort to see his grandkids, but sometimes they are too busy to fit him into their schedules. He also suggested those in the younger generation live a more comfortable life than he did at the same age.
“They’ve all got nannies. We didn’t have a damn nanny. They drive expensive SUVs. I drove a fricking minivan,” he said. “I haven’t spent a nickel less on my kids. I just spent some on me,” he explained.
Good.....And if you whine too much more we are going to spend your damn inheritance too.
Boomers didn't tend to dump their kids off to their parents while they went out every weekend and they didn't use them as daycare all the time either. It was an occasional thing and it wasn't abused like it so often is nowadays.
I never expected my parents to help raise my kids. It was nice to have them watch my kids for a few hours so we could go to dinner and a movie or some such every once in awhile.
I still help my kids out (took the G-G Grandson to daycare this morning) but it's always on my terms.....If I'm busy then it's on them.
