What empty nest?
Published: 9/20/2012 4:13 PM
Last Modified: 9/20/2012 4:13 PM
When our oldest grandchildren, twin boys, living near Lawrence, Kansas, announced that they were thinking about attending Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, my wife and I immediately, without consulting each other, told them we’d be delighted to have them live with us.
It was a big decision to make on the fly, and it seemed unlikely they would take us up on it.
But they did.
In August of 2011 they moved into a spare bedroom in our Brookside house, got jobs delivering pizza, and dove into campus life at ORU, both making straight A’s their freshman year.
It’s been an adjustment not having the house to ourselves, and watching the milk and ice cream disappear from the fridge.
But overall, it’s been great fun and a totally satisfying experience. The twins, their girlfriends and their buddies bring enthusiasm, laughter and interesting conversations to a household that might otherwise be getting a little stodgy.
They pitch in around the house – I think I’ve mowed the lawn twice in the past year – and they quickly and competently solve an array of digital quagmires we baby boomers find ourselves in as we adjust to the ever-changing world of computers, TV remotes, cell phones and tablets.
I wouldn’t recommend it for just anyone. It probably would not have worked out so well for us if they weren’t both upbeat, cheerful, cooperative and of stellar character.
According to a recent study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute, more and more grandkids are looking to their grandparents for some kind of support during the economic downturn.
Sixty two percent of grandparents have provided financial support to grandchildren in the past five years, averaging $8,289, most of it for education or investments. Forty three percent of those said they were helping financially because of the state of the economy. Thirty four percent said they were giving even though it was having a negative effect on their own finances.
Twenty percent of grandparents are living in multi-generational households, and 13 percent are caring for at least one grandchild.
Written by
Bill Sherman
Staff Writer
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