Networking is a word most often associated with work. I had a professional network, as I’m sure you did as well. In my day it was kept in a Rolodex. Now, the computer serves as my greatest network. If I have a question or need a solution, or a fun idea for an activity, I pop something into Google and in a matter of a few seconds… Viola! Up pops more information then I could have ever guessed I needed.
Starting out spending my days with my Grandchildren has been so much fun, I almost forgot the value of a great network. Until I took my granddaughter and grandson to the park to play on the swings the other day and saw something I forgot existed: an entire group of moms and their toddler-aged children and babies, also playing. And I flashed back to the days of mommy-and-me.
Most of those moms had the same challenges I have: diapers to change, 60 pounds of strollers and formula, and more than one child going in opposite directions. They had great solutions to everyday problems: like how to push three kids on the swing when you only have two hands. But they lacked my generational experience: my history, my grown children, my opinions and observations collected over a lifetime that are now being re-defined as I participate in raising children all over again. And it occurred to me that I wanted to belong to that network, but I also wanted one of my own that faced some of the special challenges I face: how to tell my daughter something may be wrong with her son and she needs him to go to the doctor; how to communicate my concerns without stepping on toes; how to spoil my grandchildren with the treats I would have given my own kids, but not break family rules; how to reconcile discipline in my house with the discipline in theirs.
I am not unique. The facts of grandparenting in today’s world suggest that:
One out of every twelve children lives in a household headed by a relative other than their parent.
Approximately six million children nationwide are being raised by their grandparents or relatives.
Grandparentheaded households are the fastest growing type of family in the United States.
Many of these special families have come together because of difficult family situations such as substance abuse, divorce, parental incarceration, or similar circumstances.
A significant number of grandparents and relatives have informal custody and do not know how this will affect their ability to care for and make decisions on behalf of the children in their care.
So the playground is a great place to start, and believe me, I will be back once a week to enjoy the company I have discovered. But I don’t want to forget the value of the internet and the many opportunities a virtual network offers, and I am looking for others. Please share your favorites, I am sharing two of my favorites below.
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Related articles
- The Joy of Grandparents (permanentlyinapickle.wordpress.com)
GrandmaCents 