If you’re a grandparent, doesn’t that entitle you to some time away from raising children?

When you’re a grandparent, you might have had your fill of caring for small children. You did you job, and your kids are out of the house, and they have their own kids. You probably have life you look forward to living, and stuff that you want to do with your newfound free time. This doesn’t always have to include being available to babysit at a moment’s notice. It takes a village indeed, and it’s nice to be able to rely on others to help you out with childcare. It’s a perk of living around parents or family, and the benefit usually goes both ways. This is how we did things once upon a time when we lived in tribes and took care of each others’ young, a long time before we had notions of individuality and whatnot. We helped others so that we got help in return, in a big beautiful cycle that perpetuated throughout time. This is just how things went and we were probably better for it. Less of the burden of childcare rested on our shoulders and we got closer with our neighbors. Plus, our kids get parental influence from all different kinds of adults, which is a great thing for development.