Rapturea Better Way Christian Ministry, Inc.

National Grandparents Day is September 12, 2010. Kids can show Grandma and Grandpa they care by creating handmade crafts to give as gifts. Also view movies, activities, and more.

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/AG_Publications/pdfs/calendar_visitation_web.pdf

Facts and Figures

The 2000 United States Census revealed that more than 2.4 million grandparents are heads of households in which their grandchildren live. That adds up to one in 12 families. According to the 2001 Canada Census, Anne is one of the 56,790 grandparents who are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren. Half of these caregivers are going it alone, without a partner. For both countries, the numbers have steadily been on the rise.

Check out these links for additional information:

http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/032608_Grandparents_Brochure.pdf

http://fcs.tamu.edu/families/aging/grg/pdfs/grandparenting_in_the_21st_century.pdf

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Grandparents.shtml

Grandparents Raising Grandkids. fcs.tamu.edu/families/aging/grg/

Grandsplace. www.grandsplace.org/gp8/tx.html

Texas Department of Aging and Disabilities Services. www.dads.state.tx.us/services/agingtexaswell/legal/grandparent_visitation.html

Elder Options of Texas. www.elderoptionsoftexas.com/tbh_excerpts/grandparents_raising_grandchildren.htm

Why Do Grandparents Do It?

"Parenting a grandchild is a necessity born of tragedy, and tragedy has no regard for race, class, ethnicity, location, or religion," say Sylvie De Toledo and Deborah Edler Brown, co-authors of the book Grandparents as Parents: A Survival Guide for Raising a Second Family. Many families are in crisis, stemming from a host of problems that are on the rise. This correlates with the growing number of grandparents taking over parenting from their children for reasons including the following:

• divorce
• child abuse
• neglect/abandonment
• incarceration
• HIV/AIDS
• substance abuse (drugs and alcohol)
• teenage pregnancy
• parental death

De Toledo and Edler Brown point out that "drugs and alcohol account for more than 80 percent of the grandparent families." The familial bond runs deep, as grandparents step in to keep these children safe, loved, and out of foster care.