No Grandkids but Miss Them? Become a “Granny to Rent”!

If I would have had children at a very young age, I could have still been a young grandmother. Though this sounds strange to me – I neither have children nor grandchildren – I was very impressed by a new project here in Bavaria:

In the rural district of Kelheim, where about 122,200 people live, now grandmas and grandpas can be contacted to help young families without grandparents and also to give elderly people without grandchildren a feeling of family.

I just learned that about 400 organizations all over Germany connect honorary “grandparents to rent” with young families. Still, not as many seniors are available to care for kids as needed. The city of Kelheim has planned seminars in January to encourage future “grannies to rent” to learn how to play with children, how to do sports with them, and also what a good-conduct certificate must look like. I’m highly motivated to join such a great organization in my hometown Munich when I retire.

Originally published on January 1, 2020.