The Easter holidays, necessary for children and, on many occasions, a real headache for parents have arrived. Again the problem of reconciling work and family life. What to do when there are not as many days off as our children?
Well, once again, it is the grandparents who come to the rescue to take care of their grandchildren this school vacation. According to a survey conducted in Spain over 65 years of age, 76 percent of grandparents have assured that their grandchildren will spend with them this Holy Week.
Essential help to conciliation
That today's grandparents are a great support for their children and their grandchildren is nothing new and, in fact, it is good for children to spend days on vacation with their grandparents.
Now a survey conducted by the stair lift company Thyssenkrupp, as part of a study about holiday habits of Spanish grandparents, has revealed that our elders not only invest time in the care of their children, but also money: based on their experience of other years, respondents have assured that enjoying grandchildren on vacation costs them an average of 265 euros per child, taking into account transport, hotels, meals, drinks, gifts, toys and other whims.
The study was conducted on 1,000 grandparents over 65, who have at least one grandchild under 15 years of age, with whom he has been on vacation in some Holy Week for the past three years.
76 percent of respondents explained that they planned to take care of their grandchildren also this year, and 51% also assured to finance all expenses which implies, 33% said they only paid a part and only 16% paid nothing.
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Another question of the survey of grandparents who were going to have their grandchildren on Easter holidays was about who had made the decision to take care of them: in the vast majority of cases (71%) the decision was made in common with their children, while 17% of the grandparents had decided it and 11% had no voice or vote and their children had imposed it.
As an anecdote, those responsible for the survey point out that 12 grandparents commented that it was their grandchildren who decided to spend the holidays with them.
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When asked how they felt after spending the last vacation with their grandchildren, most said they felt “Happy to have spent a few days with them” (43%), 18% said they were sad, because later they missed them a lot, while 17% said they were "Relaxed because the children left with their parents."
But they also claimed to feel * “Very tired” ** 10 percent of the grandparents, after spending the holidays with the grandchildren and even eight percent, felt very * “stressed”.
Perhaps we should take these answers into account and realize that despite the benefits that it can be for grandparents and children to spend vacation time together, it should be a decision by consensus with our elders, and not an obligation imposed.
That is also the opinion of Belén Galán, director of Marketing and Communication of Thyssenkrupp Home Solutions, who believes that if not done by agreement "It can generate mixed feelings in grandparents. We believe that when communication between different generations flows, it is all much more beautiful, easy and simple."
Although we are also left with your positive opinion of this relationship:
“It's a very nice thing that grandparents can enjoy a few days of vacation with their grandchildren and share their free time together. The children have fun because the grandparents do many things with them and also leave them free to do many more. The elders, because they have more time to be with them, see them, play and, why not say it, even spoil them. "
Photos | iStock
