Grandma Slammed For Demanding Parents Pay Her to Look After Grandchild

The arrival of a grandchild is supposed to be a joyous occasion for a grandparent, second only to their wedding day or the birth of their own child.

However, one grandmother has tainted the arrival of her first grandson after demanding she be paid to look after the child.

It's a decision that has sparked widespread consternation online.

The grandparent's surprising response was documented in a post shared to U.K. parenting discussion forum Mumsnet by her daughter, writing under the handle Candyfloss11.

According to the woman writing in the post, her mom had been living with her and her husband ever since the arrival of her 9-month-old son.

"She has helped us out a lot by looking after my son when both me and my husband are in a pinch," she said.

The new mom said this help has been "much appreciated" and, until recently, she had assumed her mom was "happy to help out" having previously expressed "how much she wanted a grandchild."

The grandma had been staying with the couple so "she can spend more time with her grandchild" but everything changed after she told them she "wants to be paid" for looking after their son and was "upset" they hadn't paid her at all.

The woman explained that her mom had never previously indicated she wanted payment and noted she had been staying with them rent-free.

"She is divorced with no partner and is retired so it's not like she has been missing out on any employment income anyway," the woman wrote. "We have also taken her to a few holidays with us as well."

The woman said she has been left "hurt" by her mom's actions, saying it "feels like a transaction" rather than her simply caring for her grandchild.

"I'm more than happy to pay for expenses that she might incur for looking after my son but in our case there isn't any because she lives with us," she added. "But if she wants payment then I might as well take my son to a nursery when I'm back at work."

The post, which has generated over 200 interactions on Mumsnet, was greeted with a mixture of shock and anger. "Why is she living with you?" IAmSantaYesIAm wrote. "It seems strange that she's asking to be paid for childcare when she's living rent free as a family member."

MrsElijahMikaelson1 wrote: "Say yes-happy to pay you. At the same time, we set up the rental agreement for us housing you/subsidising your living expenses and then we can knock it off what you owe us." Rattlemehearties said they "use a nursery and just rely on her for ad hoc situations as she clearly doesn't enjoy the current set up."

Annelovesgilbert suspected there might be more to the situation than meets the eye. "Might there be something going on she hasn't mentioned?" they asked. "Is she doing more childcare than she can cope with and is trying to tell you that by asking for money?It seems very odd she's suddenly saying this."

A small contingent even sided with the grandma. "I would pay her," Bouncer500 commented. "It is hard looking after a 9 month old all day every day." Doyoumind agreed: "Are you expecting her to do full time childcare when you go back to work? That's a big ask as it limits her freedom."

SonicBroom, meanwhile, urged the woman to sit down with her mom and have a "frank conversation" about money and everything else to do with the care of the child. "Focus on the good stuff you're doing for each other and how it is all well intentioned, no one ever meant to upset anyone but obviously something has changed and it's not working anymore," they suggested.

Childcare costs remain exorbitantly high in the U.S.

According to data compiled by the Center for American Progress, the average cost of licensed centre-based infant childcare in the U.S. works out at $1,324 a month, $15,888 a year.

The controversial post comes weeks after a young mother was slammed online for getting her infant daughter's ears pierced behind her husband's back.

Elsewhere, another mom was condemned after performing a TikTok dance besides her ill baby in hospital.