[New Word Dictionary] Halpapa - Grandfather's Immersive Childcare Experience

Halpapa is a term combining "halabeoji" (grandfather) and "papa," referring to grandfathers who take care of their grandchildren. Recently, as school attendance was suspended due to COVID-19, the number of Halpapa and Halmam (grandmother + mom) who look after grandchildren on behalf of their working children, daughters-in-law, and sons-in-law has been increasing. Illustration by Seongsu Oh.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Lee Mun-geon, a government official during the reign of King Jungjong in 16th century Joseon, had lost his children early to smallpox and epidemics, and cherished his only surviving second son. However, due to the aftereffects of a fever he suffered in childhood, the second son was unable to live a normal life, and despite Lee Mun-geon's efforts, it was difficult for him to achieve success through study. To make matters worse, he was caught up in factional strife and had to go into exile. One day, however, he received welcome news: his son had a child. At the age of 58, his grandson, the second generation's only heir, became his sole joy and hope in life. He devoted all his energy to his grandson's growth. He meticulously recorded every stage, from the child's first roll-over and first steps to the appearance of the first tooth. He wrote, “I spent my time solely watching my grandson play. I recorded brief notes on his 습좌 (learning to sit), 생치 (teething), and 포복 (crawling), expressing my affectionate and tender feelings. When the child grows up and reads this, he will probably understand his grandfather’s heart through these words.” Thus, he left behind a heartfelt childcare diary called ‘Yang-a-rok (養兒錄).”

“Halpapa” is a term combining “grandfather” and “papa,” referring to grandfathers who take care of their grandchildren. Recently, with school closures due to COVID-19, the number of halpapa and halmam (grandmother + mom) who look after grandchildren on behalf of their working children, daughters-in-law, and sons-in-law has increased. According to the ’2018 Childcare Status Survey’ (2,533 households) conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare through the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, 8 out of 10 people (83.6%) who help parents care for infants and toddlers at home were grandparents. Typically, twilight childcare averages more than 47 hours per week over 5 days. With home childcare becoming more common due to COVID-19, childcare hours are estimated to have increased further. There are even health statistics showing that halpapa and halmam suffer from “grandchild sickness,” including spinal and limb pain and depression, due to the harsh demands of twilight childcare, which can be more grueling than working hours. Experts advise that since most kinship childcare is unpaid labor that increases feelings of emptiness and stress, it is important to receive some compensation, even if small, and to have some time for individual activities to feel a sense of fulfillment.

Example

A: The school has stopped in-person classes again. What are we supposed to do with the kids?
B: I know. Halpapa, halmam... I feel like we’re asking too much from our parents or in-laws.
A: But we can’t take parental leave either. By the way, do you give your parents anything extra?
B: I give them more allowance and swap caregiving duties with my parents once a week, something like that.
A: Really? Sigh. We should probably increase what we give them this time too.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.