Raising grandchildren not bad for your health!
Categories: Kids 5-7, Relatives, Health & safety
Common wisdom has it that when grandparents are caregivers for their children's children, they pay a price with their health.The physical demands and stress of child-rearing combined with an aging body would logically result in poorer health, right? Not so, according to a new study of nearly 13,000 grandparents between the ages of 50 and 80.
Researchers at University of Chicago and three other universities found that caring for grandchildren does not have "dramatic and widespread negative impacts on the grandparent's health." "These findings suggest that health declines are not an inevitable consequence of grandchild care," the authors wrote. Declining health due to caring for grandchildren is actually the exception.
Among the surprising results of this study was the discovery that grandmothers caring for grandchildren in the absence of the children's parents did suffer an initial health decline. But over time, if the arrangement didn't change, their health improved.
See? Grandkids are good for you! I know that at 41 years old I am probably outside the average age of a grandparent raising a grandchild. But I am much older than I was when raising my own daughter and I can tell a difference. However, being with Ellie requires me to be more physically active than I might otherwise be and that helps keep me healthy and strong. Plus, all that laughter is good for soul.
Researchers at University of Chicago and three other universities found that caring for grandchildren does not have "dramatic and widespread negative impacts on the grandparent's health." "These findings suggest that health declines are not an inevitable consequence of grandchild care," the authors wrote. Declining health due to caring for grandchildren is actually the exception.
Among the surprising results of this study was the discovery that grandmothers caring for grandchildren in the absence of the children's parents did suffer an initial health decline. But over time, if the arrangement didn't change, their health improved.
See? Grandkids are good for you! I know that at 41 years old I am probably outside the average age of a grandparent raising a grandchild. But I am much older than I was when raising my own daughter and I can tell a difference. However, being with Ellie requires me to be more physically active than I might otherwise be and that helps keep me healthy and strong. Plus, all that laughter is good for soul.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ann Adams 5-30-2007 @ 1:21PM
Some days I agree with you, other days I might not.
I'm so looking forward to summer vacation with 11, 12, and 14 year old great-granddaughters.
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Mammacheryl 5-30-2007 @ 2:32PM
I don't know how my parents do it. They are both in their sixties, and they regularly take vacations with their older grandchildren. Last summer, they took an 8, 11 and 12 year old on a boating/camping trip for four nights. Since my grandparents always acted much older than they really were (I think it's a generational thing), I'm always surprised at what my parents do. They bought a pair of snowmobiles and a pair of ATVs to have around for the grandkids, and they actually go out riding with them rather than just sitting back and drinking a cup of coffee, watching.
I think their health has a lot to do with it, and not because it's great. My dad almost died of colon cancer a few years ago, and my mom just had to have her knee replaced and she's dealing with high blood pressure. Because they know they won't be around forever, they are cramming as much activity and as much fun into their retirement years as possible, and what better way to celebrate life than to play with kids? Their twilight years are turning into quite the fireworks display, and I look forward to my young-at-heart parents sticking around for at least another couple decades.
Cheryl at http://redpens-diapers.blogspot.com
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