The Role Of Grandparents

Sam Kelly

Is the role of grandparents becoming increasingly important in the lives of our nation's children? In the past, many adults didn't live long enough to spend much time with their grandchildren. Today adults in this country have the chance to get to know most of their grandchildren, and vice versa.

The role today is less clearly defined as it varies from household to household. In some families the grandparents play a minor role, they are usually around retirement age and the grandchildren are brought around to visit once in a while.

In other households the line between parent and grandparent has been blurred; Grandparents have taken on the responsibility for the day to day care of a grandchild. This is not uncommon as it has happened for several generations, many of the elder children in some black households were left back home with grandparents until the parents could afford to send for them. Nowadays, this may be in a bid to help out the parent as they go to work each day, at one point there was even talk of the government paying grandparents for this service.

With an increase in teenage pregnancies, many grandparents are not only caring for grandchildren, they are also raising them. Becoming a grandparent at the ripe old age of 34 is not easy; your child of 16 years and 4 months has just had a baby. Suddenly, the grandparent finds themselves as the full time parent to a newborn, after all, what does the child know about raising a child? In a few cases, the care of this new child is extended to the great-grandparents.

As a young single parent with parents resident abroad, adopted grandparents is often the only solution to an extended family. Adopted grandparents may be the elderly parents of friends who take you and your child under their wing. They can provide the love, care and support needed to help raise your child within a stable family environment.

Grandparents are essential to the UK black family. An invaluable source of help & assistance; they can teach you about traditions, your culture and ultimately more about yourself.

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