Grandmas May Be the Best Babysitters

Finding the best care for our children can be difficult sometimes with so many government and private nurseries with various requirements, offers and fees. With more than 300 licensed nurseries in UAE, around 100 only in Dubai, and considering the high fees, it becomes a difficult task to find a good place for your child. But there’s the alternative – why don’t you pay Grandma to take care of the kids? She might just turn out to be the best babysitter.

Kindergartens fees in Dubai are too high for many parents, often higher than fees for top Asian schools in the city, for instance. While an average annual fee at Dubai private school may be between Dh30,000 – Dh65,000, the nursery fee can reach even Dh45,000. Nurseries also charge extra for the additional hours, because they are usually open for five to six hours a day. It turns out many families in Dubai prefer to keep their kids at home, but often there is no choice as both parents work long hours. The other option for working parents is hiring babysitters, which may be less expensive, but also risky, according to many parents. Finding a well-trained, trustworthy babysitter who will teach the children numbers, alphabets, shapes, colors and animals, is tough, and requires a lot of time, paying an agency, and a bit of good luck.

The other option left is having your own parents to replace the babysitters and take care of the kids. Some parents argue that their children need to be educated by someone younger with modern methods and new ideas. Modern methods in children’s care and education, however, not always mean better methods. The traditional values and customs your child will learn from Grandma and Grandpa may be even better than modern ones, especially in today’s world of wide-spreading technologies. The nanny will let kids watch TV and play video games for hours, while Granny will take the kids out to play or even play with them herself!

A lovely way to show your parents you are grateful for babysitting the kids is paying them. Many grandparents wouldn’t even accept payment for babysitting, but it’s really helpful for them, considering they can only rely on pensions if they are expats from a number of countries. On the other hand, putting Grandma on a legal payroll will let her take some decisions in your absence, which is extremely comfortable.

In addition, the nursery workforce in Dubai, according to a 2009 report by The Knowledge and Human Development Authority is almost entirely non-Arabic and (even non-English) speaking, which becomes an extra barrier for many parents, especially national families. Having your parents take of the children may be not only more convenient and safe, but it can also save the family budget.