One topic we didn’t touch in The Narcissism Epidemic was the role of Grandparents. Grandparents have traditionally loved and even spoiled grandchildren, and we didn’t think to check if those trends had changed. According to a recent article, they have. Grandparents are reportedly competing with other grandparent to gain kids’ affection. That affection is paid for with fancy gifts. According to the Boston Globe:
And my, what a big spender you are, Grandma: 42 percent of all consumer spending on gifts is by grandparents, according to the survey. But we’re not just talking about Xboxes and DVDs here. The survey indicates that grandparents will spend $17 billion on education for their grandchildren this year, and more than $10 billion on clothing. Such expenditures have been rising for several years. Spending by grandparents on their grandchildren is up an average of 7.6 percent per year since 2000, the survey says.
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It’s been called the “Grandparent Olympics.” One cutthroat grandfather who asked that his name not be used calls it the “grandparent wars – it’s a game you play for keeps.” No one keeps statistics on grandparents gone wild. But Susan Stiffelman, a licensed marriage, child and family therapist, says she regularly sees a “low-key desperation to be the most popular grandparent.”
7.6% increase/year? I don’t know if population etc. is controlled, but if so that is remarkable. It will be interesting to see how this grows as the percentage of Boomer grandparents increases.
While I agree with the general premise of this post, I want to point out (or add a point) that I believe many grandparents are either brow-beaten or guilt-driven into buying clothes, paying for education, etc., because of impossible financial demands on the parents who find it increasingly difficult to make it in the economic picture of today. Although more consumeristic today, this is definitely not the Economic Golden period of the 1950s to 1971 where income to expense ratio was ideal, and many wives could stay at home.
This is a country that has gone from $20 to $30 an hour jobs for the masses down to $9 to $11 jobs for the uneducated masses with an increasing amount of “necessities.”
Therefore, as the parents fail to come up with the “goods,” increasing pressure is brought to bare on the grandparents who are often in a more ideal financial situation thanks to social & corporate safety nets that are well funded for the time being. (It won’t last though).
And compatible with this pressure, many grandparents feed off the same notions as the parents when it comes to their grandchildren in that they are “super special,” “unique,” and shouldn’t suffer the pain of wanting something but never being able to get it. Can’t get it? No problem, here you go “Brooke,” grandma got it for you. Why does 11 year-old Brooke need a cellphone? Well, she is special afer all…