Grandparents Raising Children No matter how many times you’ve raised children, it never gets easier the second time, especially when it’s grandchildren that they have to take in. There are many reasons that grandparents may be called upon to step up and raise grandchildren. There are also many positive and negative effects of grandparents raising their grandchildren. This paper will give information about the reasons why grandparents are required to take care of grandchildren, positive effects of raising grandchildren, challenges of taking care of grandchildren, and what grandparents can do to help them cope. Reasons Grandparents are Raising Grandchildren: Grandparents are sometimes required to care for grandchildren for a variety of reasons. It could be because of the death of parents, divorce, teen pregnancy, drugs, jail time, abandonment, mental health issues, military, or because of the involvement of social services due to abuse or neglect. More often than not, grandparents take on these new responsibilities as caregiver to their grandchildren to keep the children within the ...
The story “Adam Robinson Acquires Grandparents and a Little Sister” by Edward P. Jones, published in his collection of short stories All Aunt Hagar’s Children, tells the story of Noah and Maggie Robinson as they take their grandson out of foster care. The story could be said to primarily be about the importance of family bonds, and about establishing and reestablishing them, but it also is very strongly focused on the difficulty in handling and rebuilding a family for grandparents who must take responsibility for their grown children’s children. This very severely stresses Noah and Maggie in ways that impact their expectations about how they would be leading their lives at this phase of their marriage, after having completed their own child rearing and finally reaching a stage where they could focus on their own plans. They now see themselves having to deal with often difficult issues that they had not previously faced while raising their own children. In general, though it seems that grandparents raising their grandchildren in place of the parents is just an un-dramatic variant of the basic function of a family where those parents may sometimes not be available, it can be very stressful on the grandparents, negatively affecting their everyday lives and their enjoyment (Mills, Gomez-Smith and De Leon 194) and upturning life plans (Fitzgerald pp). This is true in spite of the fact that this may ultimately be the far better alternative in this situation (Koh, Rolock and Cross). While having the grandparents raise the children is the better alternative to neglect, abuse or an unstable situation, it is potentially complicated, however, by the behavioral and emotional problems that can often affect children who have been through the ...
Letiecq, B. L., Bailey, S. J., & Porterfield, F. (2008, August). " We have no rights, we get no help" the legal and policy dilemmas facing grandparent caregivers. Journal of Family Issues, 29, 995-1012.
As the above quote shows, parents are customarily seen as willing to to do anything and everything for their children's safety and health. Their perpetual love for their offspring allows them to willingly put themselves in any situation, if it benefits their children. This powerful love also extends greatly to grandparents. Due to their elderly age, many grandparents are viewed as incapable of providing sufficient care for their grandchildren. Although age does act as a roadblock, grandparents love for their grandchildren overcomes this. In “A Worn Path”, a short story written by Eudora Welty, the protagonist Phoenix Jackson defies
Hayslip, B.,Jr, & Kaminski, P. L. (2005). Grandparents raising their grandchildren: A review of the literature and suggestions for practice. The Gerontologist, 45(2), 262-9. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/211017012?accountid=13158
Aging is inevitable. People go through life meeting milestones such as going to college, getting married, having children, and then growing old. Getting older is not only hard on the individual but, also the family. It is difficult for a person who has taken care of themselves all their life to wake up one day and realize they can no longer do things on their own. That is why their are nursing homes. There are many speculations about whether or not it is okay to place a family member in a nursing home however, there are many benefits to nursing homes. The adult children of the elderly should opt for professional care for their aged parents rather than allowing them to live on their own because, nursing homes have constant help, daily activities, and people who can give family members continous support.
What is parenting? Parenting has many different definitions depending who is asked, some might say it 's the highlight of their day while others may share how they regret or dread going home, but the real definition of Parenting is; the raising of a child by its parents, or the process of becoming a parent. It is stated within Wikipedia that, “Parenting or child rearing is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, financial, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood.” It also mentions that parenting is including the aspects of raising a child outside the biological relationship.
For this study, fifty-two grandparents and their grandchildren were recruited to participate. Of the fifty-two, forty-one also consented to an interview. (Dolbin-MacNab, 2006, p.3) The criteria to participate in the study was: “grandparents had to meet the United States Census Bureau (2002) definition of a grandparent caregiver, grandparents were required to have a legal relationship to th...
Why do the elderly go to retirement homes when they become dependent on basic care? A common practice for many people living in the United States is to arrange for their parents to move to assisted living apartments or nursing homes when they feel they are unable to take care of themselves. It has become socially acceptable to pay someone else to care for family members. Unless the care that is needed is beyond the scope of an individual, such as constant medical supervision, I believe that it should be the family’s responsibility to provide care to the individual, but this differs with each family. This idea of "oweing" your parents something because of what they have done for you is an idea that many scholars disagree with. On the contrary, they claim that is "not debt but gratitude" that children support their parents (Miller, 2003, p.3).
Customarily seen as someone who is willing to do anything and everything for their children, a true, loving parent will always protect their child and ensure that they are always healthy. It’s an assumption that genuine parents would willingly put themselves in any situation, dangerous or not, without remorse if it were to benefit their children. Grandparents on the other hand are greatly caring, but simply viewed as babysitters; taking care of grandchildren when both parents are busy. Most people would be under the stereotype that grandparents aren’t able to provide sufficient care for their children due to their elderly age. However, Phoenix Jackson, the protagonist in “A Worn Path”, a short story written by Eudora Welty, defies her age and consequently proves different.
Next time you think about avoiding your grandparents, read the folk tales “The Old Grandfather and the Little Grandson” and “The Wise Old Woman.” In both folk tales, the theme the authors portray is to treat your elders with respect. The authors of “The Old Grandfather” and “The Wise Old Woman” develop the theme to respect your elders through the characters, the setting, and the symbolism.
My great grandmother, Mama, cared for all her children including her grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and great grandchildren all the same. She allowed anyone to stay in her home when needed and loaned money even when she did not have the funds to support herself. Even as a young child my great great grandmother was older but held a great part in raising me. I never received any form of structured learning such as daycare or pre-kindergarten because I loved being in her company and did not want to separate from her.
They say grandparents, are the two most favorite people in the world to children. Grandparents are the main characters of your childhood, they are the ones that leave you with the most beautiful memories of your life. Some grandparent’s teach you a very valuable lesson of life, they teach you respect, hard work, family values, and unlimited love. They show you their love in many ways, they say I love you in words as well as actions. Grandparents are the ones that sometimes get you out of trouble and guide you to the correct path. They show you trust, a trust that cannot never be broken.
Our elderly should be afforded the best possible care. This care should not only be financial but mentally and emotionally as well. They may not be able to care for themselves, but they have paid their dues, and took care of us now it's our turn to take care of them. As our elderly parents or caregivers enter their twilight years we should honor them by making their final years enjoyable and as comfortable as possible. They paved the way for us to be the adults that we are and in most cases led to the success that we have had.
I have a lot of cousins; therefore I am not the only grandchild for my grandparents. However, I was the only one that was raised by my grandparents. They spent the most of their times on me compared to my other cousins. For example, I slept with my grandma when I was young. Because of my body was weak, and my hands and feet usually cool all night, my grandma always held my hands and feet to make my body warm. She was told me fairy-tales or real stories at night when I was sick, because she wanted me to feel better. When I was little girl, on the family trip, grandpa always carried me, because he didn’t want me to walk too long. Living without the parent, it made me sad but my grandparents given too much love on
...s, old parents have had more struggles to achieve parenthood; the older parent they are, the greater chance they may become a burden on their children. Despite deaths occurring at an earlier age, there would be many who will not be able to gain any parental support in their youths. By the time, old parents’ children will graduate, and they will be in their 60s, after that, how much longer will they be around? Will they be there at their weddings? Will they be there for grandchildren?