# She thought she'd be spoiling her grandkids. She's raising them.

> Joann Ernst, 72, pays rent, works a job, and disciplines two boys, while her retirement savings quietly drain away.
- Title: She thought she'd be spoiling her grandkids. She's raising…
- Summary: Joann Ernst, 72, pays rent, works a job, and disciplines two boys, while her retirement savings quietly drain away. For over a million older Americans…
- Keywords: retirement, grandparents, caregiving, family finances, aging, business, technology, thought, she'd, spoiling, grandkids, She's
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/more-grandparents-raising-grandchildren-delaying-retirement-supporting-children-rent-mortgage-2026-9
- Author: Noah Sheidlower
- Published: 2026-09-13T10:30:02.583+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: retirement, grandparents, caregiving, family finances, aging, business, technology
## Not a babysitter, a parent
Joann Ernst, 72, has no legal guardianship of her grandsons. She still disciplines the 5- and 7-year-olds, feeds them, schools them, and houses them.

> I wish I could just be a grandmother, but I also discipline, school them, feed them, and provide a home for them.
## A job at 72
After her son Jack lost an arm in an accident and struggled to work, Ernst took a job in a school's special education department and paid his rent.
## The nest egg is shrinking
She pays the mortgage on the Connecticut house so Jack and his sons can stay there, and works 25 hours a week caring for her grandson with autism.

> I enjoy it immensely, but I'm unable to retire, and my retirement money is slowly being spent.
## Over a million like her
Census data show more than 1.1 million US grandparents aged 60 and up were at least part-time caregivers for their grandchildren in 2024.
## Crisis becomes the backstop
Illness, job loss, addiction, or injury in the middle generation turns grandparents into the family's financial floor. Business Insider spoke with more than 60 of them this year.
## Never the ice cream grandma
Even a trip to the movies is a budget decision. The relaxed, treat-giving version of grandparenting never arrives when you are the one enforcing the rules.

> You're never relaxed.
## Waiting for their own turn
Althea Smith, 65, is legal guardian to her grandson while caring for her parents and working full time. Her plans start when he turns 18, in four years.

> I want to see the world and take a cruise. I miss being able to go wherever I want.
## Key takeaway

For over a million older Americans, retirement has been replaced by a second round of parenting they never planned to fund.