Linda Johnson (Raising Grandkids)
Life coach Linda addresses the rising number of grandparents stepping in as primary caregivers due to challenges like parental illness, addiction, or incarceration. She acknowledge...
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What Support Systems Can Help?
Millions of adults around the world find themselves in a position of thinking that perhaps they're done with child rearing only to be thrust back into that role. There are many, many reasons for it. The child's parents may actually be ill. They may be deceased. They may be a breakup of a family. There may be other life challenges and crises that the parent that your child is going through that makes them unable to be a stable environment. The parent might develop or have an injury or disability. You might be parenting your grandchildren because of neglect or abuse, or perhaps your child or their parent has become incarcerated. There's also teen pregnancy, unstable parental home life, economic challenges, or maybe they've already lived with you and you just take on more and more of a parental role.
Why Might Grandparents Take on a Parental Role?
First of all, there's the medical reality of being an older person yourself. Make sure you are taking care of your own health. You need a break. Don't try and do it alone. Reach out for various opportunities to get support. The internet is out there. It's for you. It's something that people didn't have long ago. Call on your extended family. That's what people did long ago or in traditional societies around the world now, no one tried to parent without that village. Recreate the village so that you're not alone. Swap time with other parenting grandparents. Join foster care support groups. If you are a foster care grandparent, make sure that you stay connected to your own spiritual community, because that's an easy way to find fellowship and people who are happy to join in and help. Take advantage of respite care. Look into it wherever you are located. Respite care allows you to have someone else caring for the children while you get that break.