Grandparent Raising Grandchildren Bringing Up Grandchildren Grandparents Custody Rights

Bringing up your grandchildren

Over 200,000 grandparents
act as full time
parents to their grandchildren.

Grandparents play a vital role in children’s lives providing love, a sense of belonging to the family and save the economy an estimated £4 billion in childcare per year.

Retirement is a time for grandparent’s to sit back, relax and enjoy spending time with their family. Over 200,000 grandparents, however, are acting as full time parents to their grandchildren and are experiencing the highs and lows of child rearing second time around. There are many reasons for grandparents to take on this role including:

Family breakdown
Parents being unable to cope
Mental health problems
Drug and alcohol abuse
Bereavement
Financial constraints
A desire for children to be cared for by family members

A loving role with great responsibility

Grandparents taking on the role of full-time parents often feel separated from their peers as they again enter the world of looking after young children. Socially, they may feel isolated as they find it more difficult to socialise with their own friends whose families have long since grown up and left home Furthermore, children whose parents are no longer able to look after them are often traumatized and can have emotional and psychological problems and therefore, the grandparents stepping in to take care of them will need to offer a good deal of support in addition to the more everyday aspects of raising children such as school runs, mealtimes, bedtimes.

Seek support

It is important to recognise your limits when looking after children second time around. You may have had to make changes in your life such as returning to work in order to look after the children financially. It can be a very demanding time and you need to ensure that your own health and well-being is kept up in order that you will be fit and well enough to take care of the children. The Internet is a great source for help and advice and for making contact with others in your situation.

The following links might be a useful starting point.

Get involved

If your grandchildren are pre-schoolers, look out for local parent and toddler groups in your area. Many cost very little and will allow you to meet others looking after young children. With grandparents providing a large percentage of childcare, it is possible that you will meet other carer’s of your own age and form friendships and support networks. If the children are school age, think about becoming a school governor or helping out with an after-school club. If time is limited, try to attend any school events, shows or sports days your grandchildren are involved in.