Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

My husband and I are a part of a growing trend in America. We are grandparents taking on the role of primary caregivers for our grandson.

My daughter is a rising junior in college and since school is located out of town, we have agreed to raise him in her absence. We are among nearly 6 million grandparents who have grandchildren living with them. and

Here are more numbers from the Census Bureau about grandparent caregivers:

4-out-of-10 grandparents are responsible for the youngsters basic care.

5.8 million, the number of grandparents who live with one or more of their grandchildren under 18 years old.

4 percent, the percentage of people age 30 and older who live with grandchildren. The rate is 8 percent among blacks and Hispanics.

2.5 million, the number of grandparents responsible for most of the basic needs, such as clothing, food and shelter, of one or more grandchildren with which they live.

21 percent, the percentage of preschoolers who are cared for primarily by their grandparents while their mother is employed or in school.

3 Rules for Work

Each day as I'm driving my grandson to daycare, I feel it necessary to reinforce the Grandma Rules for Daycare.

1) "Don't let Miss Candy have to call me about your behavior."

2) "Don't be mean to others and make sure you share."

3) "Have a good day!"


Today, this little three-year-old decided to give ME some rules as I was preparing to meet a client.

1) He said, "Don't get in a fight with nobody."

2) "If you get some popcorn make sure you share it with everybody."

3) "Have a good day!"


Yes, our children do watch and listen.

Summer Break

My daughter has officially completed her first year of college. Now she is back home for summer--but it will be ME who will be taking a much needed break.

That's right. After acting as primary caregiver for her two-year-old son, I have relinquished my duties so she can step back into the "mommy" role. That means I no longer have to get up in the middle of the night when I hear my grandson cry out that he needs to go potty. I can sleep later in the morning without having to worry about making sure he gets to daycare before 9:30am. And I won't have to rush to pick him up by 4:30--especially if I'm in a meeting that ran long. I'll be able to spend countless hours on Twitter if I want to and more importantly, hubby and I will get to spend some quality "we" time, which has been next to impossible with our grandson hanging on to our every move.

Are you a grandparent who has given up your retirement or your own plans in order to take on the diapers, daycare, teacher conferences, and everything else that comes along with raising children? Many baby boomers, like me, are stepping in to raise their grandchildren when the children's own parents are not able or willing to do so. According to the U.S. Census, over 2.4 million grandparents have responsibility for their grandchildren. I consider my contribution as an investment in her future.

Taking care of her son has become my daughter's summer job. Nope, there is no pay involved but the rewards she and my grandson will receive will be more valuable than all the money in the world!