Grandmothers are setting boundaries for their grandchildren this holiday

Better not to scream, better not to 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, messing up my house,” Marie, of Sunset Park, told The Post. “They come here and charge 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 bad octogenarian like TikTok’s “Bad Granny.”

“One is vegan, one is lactose intolerant, one does not eat beef, one does not eat chicken,” she moans. “I can’t take it anymore.”

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

Grammies and Pop-Pop across the globe are facing “grandfather 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 energy 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 45, aren’t fond of their children’s little ones — from toddlers to toddlers to teenagers and beyond.

Marie tells The Post she really likes it.

Instead, most retirees feel like they’ve “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 grandparents,” said the 52-year-old, a married mother of two grown sons, from Oklahoma City.

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

“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, to trips to playgrounds and parks.

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

And when it comes to spending time with you at Christmas, Xer’s feelings are the same.

“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 put any pressure on them to come. [with my granddaughter].

But the smiling cherub and her parents will be at Grandma’s for 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, an Ohio grandmother of four, told The Post. “These kids have everything. They don’t need more plastic waste.”

Instead of spoiling her crew—youngsters between the ages of nine and 11 months—with a bunch of shiny goodies under the tree, Kelton deposits $100 into separate bank accounts for each child.

But grandma’s generosity comes with strict stipulations.

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

But online naysayers routinely criticize Kelton for bah-humbug behavior, calling it “cheap” and “mean.”

“One person wrote, ‘Cool. So you hate your nephew,’” she recalls with a chuckle.

“My grandkids might not like it now, or when they’re 16 and want cars,” said Kelton, whose great-grandfather doesn’t quite understand why she never covers them with the necessities from their wish lists.

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