Cared and Caring Grandchildhood: Expectations, Gifts of Care, and Mutual Caregiving in Grandchild Practices

This chapter examines the dynamics of care and caregiving within grandchild-grandparent relationships, focusing on mutuality and interdependence. This chapter builds on the idea that the analysis of care must encompass both past experiences and future expectations (Thelen, Care as Social Organization: Creating, Maintaining and Dissolving Significant Relations. Anthropological Theory 15 (4): 497–515. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463499615600893 , 2015), allowing for a comprehensive view of grandchildren in dual roles as both care receivers and caregivers. As care receivers, the chapter explores grandchildren’s experiences and expectations regarding the care provided by their grandparents. It considers normative and sociocultural definitions of grandparenthood and how these shape grandchildren’s experiences with grandparental care (Eldén et al., Grandchildhood: Care and Relationality in Narratives of Three Generations in Sweden. Childhood 31(1): 120-137. https://doi.org/10.1177/09075682231216630 , 2024). The chapter also discusses how grandchildren actively negotiate the care they receive, sometimes labelling it as unwanted or unsolicited (Souralová and Žáková, “Everybody Takes Care of Everybody”: Care Circulation and Care Relations in Three-Generation Cohabitation. Journal of Family Issues 40 (17): 2628–2657. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X19860177 , 2019). Conversely, as caregivers, the chapter investigates how grandchildren perceive their future roles in caring for their grandparents. Interviews reveal a strong sense of commitment and obligation among grandchildren to reciprocate the care they have received, aligning with sociocultural and familial ideals about elder care. The concept of reciprocity is central to their narratives, reflecting the transitions from receiving care to providing it, and highlighting the evolving nature of these intergenerational relationships.