A Reddit post about generational childcare expectations went nuclear when a grandmother declined to provide free babysitting for her working daughter. The 64-year-old, a lifelong homemaker, stated simply: “I’ve already raised my children.”
Her counteroffer – professional babysitting rates and a list of required equipment – left the new parents scrambling. As the primary breadwinner living in an expensive city, the daughter couldn’t afford to stay home like her mother had decades before. Nor could she easily afford grandma’s unexpected fees.
The viral discussion highlighted how much has changed since the grandmother’s parenting days. With stagnant wages and soaring living costs, today’s parents often need two incomes just to survive – a reality that makes unpaid family childcare seem less like a favor and more like an economic necessity for many.
