Grandmothers are setting boundaries for their grandchildren this holiday

You better not scream, you better not cry because Marie, an 85-year-old grandmother of seven, doesn’t want to hear it.

Especially not by her grandchildren at Christmas.

They come to my house fighting and arguing, they mess up my house, Marie, of Sunset Park, told The Post. They come here and get loaded for free. She chose not to reveal her last name for privacy purposes.

It’s Christmas and I have to do all the cooking, added the Brooklynite, who complains about being a dirty octogenarian like TikTok’s bad grandma.

One vegan, one lactose intolerant, one doesn’t eat beef, one doesn’t eat chicken, she moaned. I can’t take it anymore.

And no-nonsense nana isn’t the only one bracing herself for Yultide fatigue.

Grammies and Pop-Pops across the globe are dealing with grandparent burnout.

Suffering, as in overtaxed mothers and fathers, manifests in the elderly as a wave of exhaustion from the stress that comes with caring for children even during the most wonderful time of the year.

Caring for young children is challenging, especially for older adults with limited strength reserves, study authors from Finland’s University of Turku noted in part. Active grandparents can overburden older adults and lead to decreased health and well-being of grandparents.

But it’s not like Gen Xers and Baby Boomers, people over the age of 45, don’t love their children’s little ones from toddlers to teenagers and beyond.

Marie tells The Post she really likes it.

Instead, most retirees feel like they’ve already paid their dues while being parents in their prime. And now, they’d rather enjoy the fruits of rest and retirement than become babysitters.

To achieve a healthy balance, Katie Peterson has set a limit of once a week to spend time with her two-year-old granddaughter, Sage.

I have a life outside of my grandparents, said the 52-year-old, married mother of two grown sons, from Oklahoma City.

A full-time lifestyle influencer, Peterson sent social media into a tailspin in November after she confessed her disinterest in being around sweet Sage all the time, telling her that TikTok already spilled, been there, done that. .

My husband and I travel, we have friends, we like to go out to dinner, she continued, adding, however, that her Wednesdays are strictly Sage.

During their midweek meeting, the grandmother, affectionately known as KiKi, treats the toddler, who is now prone to tantrums, on trips to playgrounds and parks.

My granddaughter is a very busy two-year-old, Peterson said. It’s tiring.

And when it comes to spending time with you at Christmas, Xers feel the same way.

I told my son and daughter-in-law what my plans are, said Peterson, who will host most of her immediate and extended family on Dec. 25. I don’t pressure them to come. [with my granddaughter].

But the smiling cherub and her parents will be at Grandma’s during the holiday, eating good food and opening presents, which is more than Tammie Kelton’s grandchildren can expect.

“I don’t buy Christmas presents for my grandchildren,” Kelton, 50, a grandmother of four from Ohio, told The Post. These kids have it all. They don’t need more plastic waste.

Instead of spoiling the nine- to 11-month-olds in her crew with a bunch of shiny things under the tree, Kelton deposits $100 into separate bank accounts for each child.

But grandmothers’ generosity comes with strict limitations.

This is not money for a wedding or a car, insisted Kelton, a nurse, who proudly crowned herself Scrooge on social media. It’s just for college or a down payment on a house or their retirement.

But unimpressed Internet entertainers routinely criticize Kelton for bah-humbug behavior, calling him cheap and mean.

One person wrote, Cool. So you hate your nephew, she recalled with a cackle.

“My grandkids might not like it now, or when they’re 16 and want cars,” said Kelton, whose mom has no idea why she never covers them with items from their wish lists.

But there are more important things in life than Christmas presents.