One of the most important bonds is that between a parent and their children. The responsibility to take care of another human being, to be responsible for them for their developmental years and to continue to support them throughout the rest of your and their lives is a significant undertaking. In a 2016 America, this dynamic faces many challenges. Dual incomes are often required to make ends meet. Families are incurring more debt in early years. A smaller percentage of the population is getting married. Women in the US, the traditional caregivers, are more likely than women in any other country to work (Meyer 14.) So how do families, and mothers in particular deal with all of the barriers and still ensure that children are raised properly?
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During the time of the interviews, none of the grandmothers were engaged in any long term care of their grandchildren (Meyer 5.) Culturally, British grandmothers are of the belief that care responsibilities fall squarely on the mother and to assist in any long term way is unseemly. If true financial hardship was demonstrated, grandmothers would be more likely to assist. Grandmothers did however have the fear that their demonstrated affection for their grandchildren and willingness to help in short term situations could be taken advantage of. Compulsory altruism describes when someone is forced to be nice. This is not the positions that grandmothers wanted to be in. An issue not stated in the article but that could also be relevant is potential embarrassment. If a grandmother’s friends knew that she was spending significant time or money watching her grandchildren, it would be obvious to her friends and other family members that her child doesn’t have the means to take care of the children and this could cause discomfiture or …show more content…
With the responsibility of taking care of grandchildren comes the increase in physical activity. This may replace the need to go to the gym on some days. Other benefits could include having someone to go to the store for you when the children are older. It may be easier to have people running errands for you that live in your own home. As long as the grandmothers are able to strike the right balance between their work, their grandchildren, and their own lives, it is possible to have a very fulfilling
During the time of the interviews, none of the grandmothers were engaged in any long term care of their grandchildren (Meyer 5.) Culturally, British grandmothers are of the belief that care responsibilities fall squarely on the mother and to assist in any long term way is unseemly. If true financial hardship was demonstrated, grandmothers would be more likely to assist. Grandmothers did however have the fear that their demonstrated affection for their grandchildren and willingness to help in short term situations could be taken advantage of. Compulsory altruism describes when someone is forced to be nice. This is not the positions that grandmothers wanted to be in. An issue not stated in the article but that could also be relevant is potential embarrassment. If a grandmother’s friends knew that she was spending significant time or money watching her grandchildren, it would be obvious to her friends and other family members that her child doesn’t have the means to take care of the children and this could cause discomfiture or …show more content…
With the responsibility of taking care of grandchildren comes the increase in physical activity. This may replace the need to go to the gym on some days. Other benefits could include having someone to go to the store for you when the children are older. It may be easier to have people running errands for you that live in your own home. As long as the grandmothers are able to strike the right balance between their work, their grandchildren, and their own lives, it is possible to have a very fulfilling