Thursday, January 22, 2009

Would you ask your mom to be your kids' Grannynanny?

With Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, moving in to the White House to help look after Sasha and Malia (at least temporarily), I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the idea of the Grannynanny.

A recent AARP study shows that multigenerational households are on the rise, up from 5 million in 2000 to 6.2 million last year, and having your parents help you take care of your kids is not a new idea; plenty of people move closer to their parents as the work-life juggle becomes more intense, and I definitely see the appeal — mostly. But living together for a long period of time? What do you do if your parenting style is vastly different from your mom’s or dad’s? Who is in charge of your kids… you or your parents?

There's more at The 36-Hour Day, but what I really want to know is this: Would you have your mom (or MIL) live in with you to be your Grannynanny? Why or why not?

2 comments:

Leandra said...

No, I don't think so. But mostly because I feel like my mom has already raised her kids. I don't think I should ask her to raise mine. That being said, I think she would definitely offer to help if I were desperate and needed help. And I'd probably let her. But if I had other options I'd probably go that route.

Anonymous said...

I am having that issue now. My mother mother-in-law has offered to watch my first child after I give birth, however I am a little unsure about leaving him with her because I don't want her to taking over my husband and I being the parents. She have a really strong personality and sometimes it is challenging for me to speak up to her. I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I don't want my feelings to suffer as well. Any suggestions