Grandparents as Parents
In the US, grandparenthood, on average, starts at fifty years old for women and at fifty-two years old for men. When people think of entering the grand parenting stage they think of becoming a valued elderly member, being able to keep family traditions going, and also being able to have the joy of being around babies and children occasionally. Most people do not think they will have to become the primary caregiver of their grandchildren, but sometimes this is exactly what happens. A skipped generation family is a type of family where the grandparent takes full custody and responsibility for their grandchild. Many reasons arise for this to come about and there are many different pros and cons for all of those involved. …show more content…
While some grandfathers do, it is not common for them to be the sole caregiver. Most skipped generation families are a result of the parent having a substance abuse (Berks 2010). Their addiction will cause them to not be able to give proper care to their child, so the grandmother steps in. A skipped generation family may also be the result of death. In the case that both parents pass away most grandparents will gladly step in and take care of their grandchildren. Child neglect as well as child abuse is another big reason why kids go to live with their grandparents. If the mother or father cannot or does not want to effectively take care of the child, most grandparents will allow the child to reside with them so that the child does not have to go into the foster care system. All of these reasons are different from each other, but of course they have some of the same pros and …show more content…
These three parties are the parent, the grandparent, and of course the child. Throughout the time that the child lives with the grandparents there are various feelings that they all go through. First, the grandparent can have a lot of mixed feelings about the situation. Sometime they may feel good that they are helping out in the bringing up of their grandchild. If the situation is bad, they may feel as though they are being a “silent savior” to their grandchild (Berks 2010). They will be willingly to step in and help raise the child in a way that will be beneficial to them. In other situations, they may feel like this is not their responsibility and it may cause them to be upset and feel as though they are stressed out. The parent on the other hand may not be as happy as the grandparent. Sometimes, they might feel guilt and anger because they could not properly care for their child. Some parents who has previously abused and neglected their child may feel happy. It is common for them to feel like a weight is lifted off their shoulders. The child, in my opinion, goes through the most. They have the most mixed feelings. At times they may feel as though their grandparent is trying to come in between them and their parent. This will cause a lot of animosity and anger towards the grandparent. In other circumstances, the child may feel grateful for the grandparent for taking them
In the US, grandparenthood, on average, starts at fifty years old for women and at fifty-two years old for men. When people think of entering the grand parenting stage they think of becoming a valued elderly member, being able to keep family traditions going, and also being able to have the joy of being around babies and children occasionally. Most people do not think they will have to become the primary caregiver of their grandchildren, but sometimes this is exactly what happens. A skipped generation family is a type of family where the grandparent takes full custody and responsibility for their grandchild. Many reasons arise for this to come about and there are many different pros and cons for all of those involved. …show more content…
While some grandfathers do, it is not common for them to be the sole caregiver. Most skipped generation families are a result of the parent having a substance abuse (Berks 2010). Their addiction will cause them to not be able to give proper care to their child, so the grandmother steps in. A skipped generation family may also be the result of death. In the case that both parents pass away most grandparents will gladly step in and take care of their grandchildren. Child neglect as well as child abuse is another big reason why kids go to live with their grandparents. If the mother or father cannot or does not want to effectively take care of the child, most grandparents will allow the child to reside with them so that the child does not have to go into the foster care system. All of these reasons are different from each other, but of course they have some of the same pros and …show more content…
These three parties are the parent, the grandparent, and of course the child. Throughout the time that the child lives with the grandparents there are various feelings that they all go through. First, the grandparent can have a lot of mixed feelings about the situation. Sometime they may feel good that they are helping out in the bringing up of their grandchild. If the situation is bad, they may feel as though they are being a “silent savior” to their grandchild (Berks 2010). They will be willingly to step in and help raise the child in a way that will be beneficial to them. In other situations, they may feel like this is not their responsibility and it may cause them to be upset and feel as though they are stressed out. The parent on the other hand may not be as happy as the grandparent. Sometimes, they might feel guilt and anger because they could not properly care for their child. Some parents who has previously abused and neglected their child may feel happy. It is common for them to feel like a weight is lifted off their shoulders. The child, in my opinion, goes through the most. They have the most mixed feelings. At times they may feel as though their grandparent is trying to come in between them and their parent. This will cause a lot of animosity and anger towards the grandparent. In other circumstances, the child may feel grateful for the grandparent for taking them