bearisgray

It seems that there are many grandparents that have full responsibility for raising their grandchildren. Or more than the "grandbaby comes to visit - how cute - go home with parents in a couple of hours" situation.

How did this come about? How are you dealing with it?

amma

3 of my grands spent a lot of time with me... The older two are twins and they were a handfull for DD after they started walking LOL I loved having them come up to stay for 4 or 5 days at a time. Sometimes twice a month, sometimes longer when my DD had to go to work. Daycare is so expensive... I would also go to her house and watch them there at times. I also get them when they are sick, they can't go to daycare and I usually don't catch virus's.
To me it is not a problem, I love having them around!!!

nativetexan

I'm not sure i could stand it. children seem to need entertaining constantly these days. I don't have the energy!! what happened to them entertaining themselves and enlarging their own imagination in the process?
mine live in Texas, 1,000 miles from me. so I don't have to do that so far. :)

amma

My grands entertain themselves pretty well and we do a lot of activities together like cooking and baking. The older ones are 6 and they are going to get their first experience on a sewing machine when they come up for a week after Christmas :D:D:D
My DD and I agree that whenever possible it is better that they are with me rather than at a daycare :wink:

Lneal

I have two little grands who live with us, along with their mother who went thru an unfortunate divorce. Having no where else to go, now they occupy our home. Tho it does get hectic and a little crazy I remind myself how blessed I am to have these beautiful children jumping on my bed in the morning with lots of kisses and hugs all day long! Actually you find yourself adapting fairly well. Someday it will not be like this I'm sure.

QuiltMania

I thank God every day for my parents. When our 1st son was born, my mother said, "There is no way that boy is going to day care. You bring him right here!" My mom and dad have watched my kids from day one. They pick them up from school every day. My mom taught my kids so much while I was at work that they entered school way above grade level. My mom helps them with their homework every day.

Without my parent's help, there would be no way that both DH and I would have been able to work. The day care costs would have been more than DH makes. I hope that you grandparents who are helping with your grandchildren know how truly "grand" you are.

pocoellie

We've been raising our granddaughter for almost 11 years. It wasn't what we planned to do in our retirement, but she certainly didn't deserve the parents she got.

mic-pa

I raised my first grandchild until she was school age. Then my daughter finally got her life straightened out, married a responsible young man and they regained custody of her daughter. Up to that point I went to court for (GD) custody so the her father could not take her. He offered no support or wanted to do anything for her. When she left at age five I was heart sick as we had her since birth. Ironically when she was born I worked delivery room at the hospital and they handed her to me first. She is now 26yrs old and has a child of her own. She has never met her biological father and considers her adopted father the only one. My other grandchildren I did help with such as putting them on the school bus and retreiving them at night until they were older. I am fortunate that they all live very close. But now the youngest is 18 yrs. marge

Shemjo

I think it is wonderful when parents can help out with their kid's kids. I do also think it was easier when families lived closer together.

azdesertrat

My parents are raising their grand daughter as their own and have officially adopted her,they have had her since hse was 3 mons old and she is now 13,and my 17 yr old nephew is living with them also,he doesn't like his mothers' husband,or his step siblings.My dad does fine iwth it My mom has more of a problem,she didn't expect to spend her golden years raising more kids.There is an organization here in town specifically geared to grandparents raising grandkids