I agree that grandparents who are primary carers should be paid (The glory of grandparents, Jan 18).

Currently, the basic subsidy is $600 for working applicants with infants aged two months to 18 months old in an infant care centre.

Grandparents who become the primary carers at home, either by choice or due to circumstances, are providing childcare services that contribute to nation building.

These are some reasons grandparents become the primary carers:

• Many, including the parents themselves, may feel that it is too early for a newborn infant to be placed in group institutional care.
• Infants are vulnerable, and still require individualised attention and caregiving.
• Infants in group care are more prone to falling sick, due to health, hygiene and safety issues.
• The grandparents simply want to play an active role to bond with their grandchildren in their growing years.
• The parents may be unable to afford infant care services even with the support of government subsidies.
• The parents have odd working hours and have limited childcare options.

Some grandparents who are still gainfully employed end up having to quit their job to be the primary carers to support their adult children’s desire for home-based care arrangements.

Sometimes, they also play supervisory or surveillance roles to ensure that their grandchildren are decently cared for by domestic helpers.

They do this with the hope of giving the child’s parents peace of mind while they are at work, and so that there is a family member to look after the child when he falls sick.

Most grandparents are not paid for their childcare services. Sometimes, they even pay for groceries and necessities for babies, to avoid burdening their adult children who may already be saddled with housing loans. Inflation does not help either.

I also know of grandparents who choose not to talk about money with their adult children to preserve family relationships and togetherness.

Choosing not to talk about money does not mean that they do not want to be compensated for the sacrifice of their time, freedom and the social life they once enjoyed, to care for grandchildren at home.

Grandparents deserve a token of recognition for their childcare services because raising children is heart-and-hard work. It is a serious nation-building commitment.

Rebecca Chan (Dr)