A grandmother is a babysitter who watches the kids instead of the television.

A modern, anonymous family-humor aphorism that plays on the late-20th-century rise of television as a default “babysitter.” It contrasts passive childcare—parking children in front of a screen—with the stereotypical ideal of a grandmother’s attentive, hands-on care. The line circulates widely in greeting cards, social media posts, and collections of “grandparent sayings,” typically without attribution or a stable first appearance. Its anonymity and punchline structure suggest it emerged from popular vernacular rather than a traceable literary work or speech.

The quip flatters grandmothers by defining their value not merely as caregivers but as engaged companions: they “watch the kids,” meaning they pay attention, interact, and supervise, rather than outsourcing attention to television. Implicitly, it critiques screen-based distraction and the cultural habit of using TV to occupy children. The humor depends on reversing expectations—babysitters are often imagined as watching television while the kids entertain themselves—while presenting grandmothers as more present, patient, and invested. As an aphorism, it reinforces an ideal of intergenerational care rooted in attentiveness and relationship.