Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: What is my role now?

A few years back, during a visit to one of our coastal regions, we started chatting with a local bus driver. This older gentleman explained that he kept working because he and his wife were raising their grandchildren, and the extra income was helpful. He expressed a sentiment many can relate to: "At our ages, it's one of the toughest jobs we've ever had. But in our family, we look after our own."

Maybe you came to this place after a rushed conversation with a CPS social worker in the middle of a family crisis - a horrific accident, an arrest, or a drug overdose - or maybe this was a role you saw coming in slow motion as things gradually fell apart.

However you got here, chances are things are not quite the way you thought they would be. You are caring for children who have been through a traumatic time, and that leaves its mark on kids, often in their behavior. You also are likely using methods that worked with your own kids but might not work on the children you now have in your home. Let's face it, pretty much everything is different in today's world than the world of just one generation ago. While your heart is in the right place, you've taken on a job that is likely requiring you to stretch your abilities further than you've had to before.

Having a sympathetic ear to help with this new territory can be especially valuable, because raising this new generation, even for the best of us, can be exhausting, mentally draining, and anxiety-causing. I have a background as a clinical social worker, teacher, and adoptive parent myself, and there's not much that you can tell me that will surprise me. I've also counseled parents with children who've been through loss, and every child who is adjusting to a new home is experiencing trauma from the loss of the former one.

I encourage you to contact a professional for assistance, and welcome you to call me. I'd be honored to join you in your journey.