Since 1979, families all around the world have celebrated the first Sunday after Labor Day as Grandparents Day, a day set aside to commemorate and pay respect to grandparents and their contributions to young people. Some grandparents are more than part-time participants of their grandchildren: They are raising their grandchildren.
In time for the 40th anniversary of Grandparents Day and the 65 million grandparents who enrich the lives of their families in the United States today, Hazelden Publishing has released a new book, The Grandfamily Guidebook, authored by Andrew Adesman, MD, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York, and Christine Adamec, a health and self-help writer.
The Grandfamily Guidebook offers practical guidance, advice, encouragement and reassurance on dealing with the myriad social, financial, legal, and emotional issues. The book also includes the wisdom, perspectives, and insights provided by some of the 700+ parenting grandparents who participated in the Adesman Grandparenting study – one of the largest national studies of its kind.
The launch of this book comes at a time when approximately three million Americans serve as the sole caretakers of their grandchildren; that number is expected to rise in the near future, leaving Baby Boomers to wonder how they should raise their children’s children.
As the authors indicate, parenting the second time around is very different from years past, largely due to challenges never before faced by the American family. As a result of the opioid epidemic, substance abuse, mental illness, behavioral health issues, incarceration, and simply not being ready to be a parent, a disturbingly large and increasing number of mothers and fathers are unable to take on the role of parenthood, forcing their own parents to step out of retirement and do the work all over again.
The Grandfamily Guidebook, available just in time for Grandparents Day on Sunday, September 9, offers insights from grandparents around the country who have been there — whose top priority has become helping their grandchildren thrive in what might be considered less-than-ideal situations.
To learn more about the book, go to http://www.RaisingYourGrandchild.org
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