Nursery World - To the point - Grandparents who juggle

The well-being of young children can only be truly gauged when we consider their relationships with the whole family. So we must examine the current changes to grandparenting and what they mean for grandchildren.

Grandparents are fitter than previous generations, and they are more likely to have an adult daughter in employment. Changing family form means those grandparents are more likely to have experienced divorce or separation, as are their children's generation. All this means that being a grandparent has never been so complex. They must meet the needs of a wider family that can include ex-spouses, former sons and daughters-in-law, and step-grandchildren. These webs of relationships can be fluid, complex and potentially very challenging.

Grandparents are also increasingly finding themselves acting as an important provider of childcare. One in three families now rely on grandparents for childcare, rising to one in two for single parents. Nursery workers are, of course, aware of this trend, as they meet these hardworking grandparents at the nursery gates.

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