Are you one of nearly 3 million grandparents across North America
raising your grandchildren as part of a grandfamily? You may have done
all this parenting stuff before, but times have changed since you raised
your own kids, and you likely never thought you'd be raising kids
again.
What has led to all these family issues and the growing need for
grandparents to step up? Now more than ever, substance use and addiction
have made many birth parents simply unfit for the job, whether the
problem is alcohol, opioids, or other drugs. Family dynamics might also
be undermined by parents' mental health or medical problems,
incarceration, or a simple lack of preparedness for family
responsibilities. Whatever the reason for your new role, you must now
help your grandchildren adjust to their extended family as part of their
everyday life, through the best care you are able to provide. While your
new role means that you will likely have to change the way you live, the
kinship care you provide your grandchildren might make all the
difference in the world.
In The Grandfamily Guidebook--which leading medical experts have
called a "must-have" resource for grandparents raising
grandchildren--authors Andrew Adesman, MD, and Christine Adamec offer
expert medical advice, helpful insights gleaned from other grandparents,
and data mined from the 2016 Adesman Grandfamily Study--the broadest and
most diverse research study of its kind to date. You'll also find
hands-on tips you'll be able to reference whenever you need them,
including how to cope with difficult birth parents, school issues and
social-life challenges, problem behaviors that stem from a difficult
past, and your own self-care.
Starting with its foreword by the renowned Dr. William Sears, across
this book you will find practical, inspiring help as you navigate the
financial impacts, legal considerations, and medical issues that
commonly arise when grandparents and grandchildren start becoming a
grandfamily.
