I'm 70 and raising my 6-year-old grandson. I can't afford to retire.

August 24, 2026 - 03:45

Ruth Olinger is 70 years old. Most people her age are thinking about slowing down, maybe traveling, or just enjoying quiet mornings. Instead, she is raising her six-year-old grandson. She adopted him and is now his legal parent. That means school runs, homework, and a very active little boy who needs her energy and attention.

But the hardest part is not the physical tiredness. It is the money. Olinger pays $10,400 a year just for day care. That is a huge chunk of her fixed income. She says plainly that she cannot afford to retire. She has to keep working, even at this age, because the bills will not wait.

The situation is not rare. More and more grandparents are stepping in to raise their grandchildren, often due to parents struggling with addiction, illness, or other crises. They take on the job out of love, but they also take on the financial weight. For Olinger, that means pushing back any dream of a restful retirement. She does not complain much. She just says what needs to be said: she has a child to raise, and she will do what it takes. But the worry is real. What happens if her health fails? What happens when she simply cannot work anymore? Those questions hang over her every day. For now, she keeps going, one day at a time, for the little boy who calls her mom.