Today’s grandparents are younger, hipper, survey finds

WASHINGTON — If your idea of “grandma” is one of a fail, old woman with white hair and wire-rimmed glasses, think again. These days, grandparents are younger and hipper than ever before, according to a TODAY.

In a survey of 1,200 parents and 900 grandparents — just in time for Grandparent’s Day, Sept. 7 — TODAY found the older generation is doing things in new ways, starting with their names. Many modern grandparents are in favor of child-bestowed names, TODAY reports, such as Diddy, GoGo and Gaga.

The survey also found modern grandparents spend a lot more time with their grandchildren than previous generations. One in four parents say they rely on grandparents for child care a few times a month, TODAY reports. One in 10 parents lean on grandparents for daily child care.

The TODAY report gathered statistics from Grandparents.com, the web site of the American Grandparents Association, and found some additional statistics about the 70 million grandparents in the U.S., including the average age of the nation’s grandparents (48) and the amount of money grandparents spend on their grandkids annually ($52 billion).

You can find additional statistics in the TODAY report.

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