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Grandparents Day draws attention to Grandparents raising children
On Sunday, Americans recognized the 30th National Grandparents Day. Grandparents have long held a unique place in American families, providing not only leadership and guidance for their own children, but also for their children’s children. And increasingly, the role of grandparents has extended much further. It is estimated that nearly 2.5 million U.S. grandparents today stand as surrogate parents for “one or more grandchildren who live with them,” this according to the Census Bureau’s 2006 American Community Survey. When compounded with the rising costs of prescription drugs and lackluster healthcare benefits, childcare can put a serious strain on the fixed-income budgets of grandparent caregivers. Still, many cannot help but give support to their needy grandchildren. As put by one grandparent caregiver, “You get tired, but you just do it.” For more information on resources for grandparents, visit www.grandparentsforchildren.org . Discipline was a common issue mentioned by the respondents. “Some grandparents said they didn’t want to be the person to say, ‘No, you can’t do that,’” Palmieri said. “They would rather just be able to invite their grandkids over and send them back home.” Judy L. Randall, president and CEO of Randall Travel, a North Carolina company focused on travel research and strategic planning, said she has seen increasing numbers of grandparents and grandchildren traveling together without the parents along. “What’s that line about the reason that grandparents and grandkids get along so well is that they have a common enemy?” she said half jokingly. “For me, it’s easy to see why the baby boomer grandparents and the Generation Y grandkids are having a blast together.” Both generations tend to be more active and adventurous than the Generation Xers in the middle and so resemble each other more in their tastes and choice of activities, she said. In the past, grandparents and grandchildren visiting Alaska were likely to take a guided cruise, said Randall, who spends about 40 percent of her time on the job traveling. Today many chart their own trips, going off by themselves to camp, observe wildlife or fish, she said.
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