When the summer holidays end for mom and dad, the grandparents step in.

When summer vacation ends for mom and dad, grandparents step in

In the last week of the school summer holidays, several amusement parks experience that grandparents with grandchildren are the ones queuing up for the rides.

For many, summer vacation is already over. Many adults are back at work, but for most schoolchildren, the last week off from math, Danish, and English doesn't end until this weekend is over. And this has given rise to grandparents stepping in.

This can be felt in several amusement parks. Owner and director of Sommerland Sjælland, Kåre Dyvekjær, says that this is the week of the year when they see the most grandparents with grandchildren in the park, and it creates a special atmosphere.

"It's as if there's a different calm, because the grandparents are at an age where they don't have to rush anything, so they can take it at the pace the grandchildren want," he says.

One of the grandparents who took her two grandchildren to Sommerland Sjælland on Friday is Randi Vinfeldt. And she can also feel the special atmosphere in the amusement park this week.

"I actually think it's very quiet and peaceful. It's a lovely day, there aren't too many people, and it's actually more relaxing than when I was a parent myself. Back then, we had to do 117 things. But we don't have to do as much now," says Randi Vinfeldt.

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Cozy for the employees

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The employees who help guests every day can also feel that the grandparents have largely taken over the responsibility this week.

"The children are very, very quiet. They can get a bit worked up if they're with their parents. When the grandparents are there, they also help them find their way around; they have a slightly more guiding role," says Vibeke Damm, who works in the park's information and ticket booth.

She can also feel that the "no hat" is put away a bit more when it's the grandparents accompanying them at Sommerland Sjælland.

"There isn't as much 'no, we don't have room for that,' or 'no, you already have 300 stuffed animals,'" says Vibeke Damm.

And there are also indications that there are fewer parents spending time with their children here in week 32. According to Statistics Denmark, last year only half as many people took vacation in week 32 as in week 31.

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Expression of a trend

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DR has also spoken with both BonBon-Land and Djurs Sommerland, which experience having more grandparents as guests this week. The same goes for Universe Science Park on Als in Southern Jutland, where the sales and marketing manager, Mikael Vestergaard, says they have actually taken it a step further because it is well known that this is a problematic week for families with children.

"This theme has been here for years. We have seen that more and more grandparents come specifically this week. Therefore, we have introduced an outright Grandparent Week," he says.

If it were up to grandparent Randi Vinfeldt, even more people should do as she does and visit an amusement park like Sommerland Sjælland during this part of the year.

"If you can choose a day in August when it gets a bit quieter and calmer, then there's plenty of space. Both to try more rides because the queue isn't as long, but also to sit down, talk, and eat together," says Randi Vinfeldt.

The engagement from grandparents does not surprise the deputy director of Ældre Sagen, Michael Teit Nielsen, who believes it ties into a general trend in modern childhood.

"Today we see that grandparents play a much more active role in relation to their grandchildren. For example, there are many families where the grandparents have a fixed pick-up day," he says.

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