Grandparents Offer Unique Perspective
Are you a grandparent who has given up your retirement or your own plans in order to take on the diapers, daycare, teacher conferences, homework and everything else that comes along with raising children? According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately three percent of children nationwide live apart from their parents, and, of those, nearly two-thirds are being raised by grandparents.
Some 2.6 million grandparents are raising their grandchildren, either because of a temporary change in circumstance for the parents, such as military deployment or joblessness, or something more lasting and We were unable to host our grandparents for lunch this year but we terrible: mental illness, divorce, can’t wait for next year! incarceration, death, or, substance Find a support group. Either a a trusted adult who can babysit or abuse. group specifically for grandparents take over while you’re out. If you are one of these grandparents, Take a parenting class. A you have made numerous sacrifices raising grandchildren or some other support group where you can share class may help you to feel more in order to provide a better life for your grandchildren. Here are some your challenges with others who comfortable with your status as a caregiver for young children. It will things you can do now to provide will understand. Talk to someone. This could be a the best possible care for your grandchildren while still preserving friend or relative or a professional, such as a counselor, family doctor, your own health and well-being. Take care of yourself. To be able or someone at your church or to provide the best care for your temple. Unburdening yourself can grandchildren, it’s important that be a stress reliever.
also provide resources in the form of your teacher and the other students in the class.
Learn to say “no.” You don’t have time to do everything. Learn to make priorities and eliminate the Take a break. A short time away unnecessary tasks in your life. you take care of yourself and not allow yourself to be overwhelmed from your grandchildren may give you some time to relax. Look for Sources: ChildWelfare.com, The Atlantic.com by your parental responsibilities. Grandparent Resources AARP runs a Grandparent Information Center where you can sign up for their newsletter, check their message board, and search for a local support group. Visit www.aarp.org/families/grandparents/gic Generations United runs their own National Center on Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children, which offers information and resources. Visit www.gu.org/projg&o.htm. For local resources, visit the Lorain County Office on Aging at www. lcooa.org
