It is no wonder that grandmothers and grandfathers sometimes care for grandchildren more than their own parents. There really is an interesting benefit to it. It’s not just about playing, but you also improve your health.
Evolution and Human Behavior, the journal that published this interesting study, writes that they examined data on 500 people and all subjects were aged 70 and over. All the people lived in Berlin. The conclusion was really interesting and states that grandparents who actively care for their grandchildren live 10 years longer, while those who do not fare much worse in terms of longevity.
Of course by caring for grandchildren we don’t mean performing parental duties, in the sense of tutoring for school, cooking, ironing and laundry. Just the usual active leisure-time help with grandchildren. In fact, there is said to be a connection with childcare and stress reduction. Dr. Ronan Factor commented on this and also mentioned that it is a benefit for grandparents, because they will not only enjoy their grandchildren for longer, but also benefit from excellent health.
So from now on you can call on grandparents to help with your children with a clear conscience and without guilt that they will later feel tired or weak. On the contrary, this whole thing helps them in productivity and is in a way a path to a longer life. All the better if you have small children, because this also helps older parents maintain active emotional stability.
