"I Want Grandchildren Too"... US Seniors Babysitting for '4,000 Won per Hour'

"More Rewarding Than Money" Delivered

An analysis has emerged that the number of grandparents without grandchildren is increasing in the United States due to low birth rates. Although the children of the Baby Boomer generation (born 1946?1964) have reached marriage age, the recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the lives of the elderly are also changing as birth rates decline.

According to the media, last year the total fertility rate in the U.S. was 1.62, marking an all-time low. The trend of low birth rates is clear. WSJ analyzed that the younger generation finds the cost of raising children burdensome due to high housing costs and student loans, or believes that having children is incompatible with their professional goals.

The number of grandparents is also decreasing. According to a survey by the National Center for Family & Marriage Research (NCFMR) at Bowling Green State University, about half of U.S. adults aged 50 to 90 had grandchildren last year, down from 57% in 2018.

WSJ pointed out that for Baby Boomers who have become grandparents, friends with grandchildren are objects of envy. Anne Brenoff (74) from California said, "I recently went baby clothes shopping with a friend whose daughter is pregnant, and I was envious," adding, "I want to tell family stories to my grandchildren and have them remember me, but I don't think that will happen for me," to WSJ. Brenoff's two adult children reportedly have no plans to have children.

Unlike the parent generation expecting grandchildren, the younger generation thinks, "My life comes before having children." A woman in her 60s from California said she offered to move nearby and help care for her son's child if he had one, but her son's response was cold. She comforted herself by caring for her nephew's children but admitted she secretly felt regret that her son and his wife would not experience the joy of raising children.

For grandparents who want to become grandparents, "foster grandparents" volunteer services are gaining attention. Foster grandparents are volunteers aged 55 and older who are matched one-on-one with children in need, such as children with disabilities or from low-income families, through a program operated by the U.S. federal government. Currently, about 25,000 volunteers serve as grandparents to local children.

The goal of foster grandparents is to start by providing everyday help to children and become a family figure they can emotionally rely on. A representative from AmeriCorps, the organization managing the foster grandparent program, explained, "There are not many people who can be grandparents, but through volunteering, you can become a grandparent-like figure in a child's life."

Volunteers receive an activity allowance of $3 per hour (about 4,000 KRW), but foster grandparents say the sense of fulfillment is greater than the money. Barbara Burnett (81), a foster grandparent volunteer from Florida, told Fox News, "My salary is seeing the children grow," adding, "Being with the children makes me feel alive and gives me purpose."