Nearly 1.5 million children are living with and being raised by their grandparents. The AARP Grandparent Information Center met with five groups of children in the spring of 1996 to gather their thoughts and quotations on what it feels like to live with their grandparents. Fifteen drawings were also selected for inclusion. The children's…

Discusses the responsibilities administrators and educators have to grandparents in charge of their grandchildren. Presents three cases and examines the problems in each situation. Suggests that being a grandparent today can be frightening because, depending on their age and attitude, grandparents have not adjusted to all the changes in…

Notes that every state has passed laws giving grandparents right to petition courts for privilege of visiting their grandchildren. Family specialists need to understand nature of grandparents' rights laws because these laws affect their duties. Asserts that research findings and expert witness testimonies of family specialists should be included…

Discusses the socialization of values from a sociohistorical perspective. Argues that value similarities between grandparents and grandchildren are a result of skipped generations being socialized within similar phases of the Kondratieff Wave. Consequently, they bear analogous historical imprints and share common outlooks. Includes a review by…

Discusses the grandparent-grandchild relationship and its implications for counseling activities. Reviews the historical and contemporary role expectations of grandparents and grandchildren, the reciprocal significance of this relationship, and ways to use the relationship in counseling services and programming in various settings. (Author)

There are 3.2 million children in the United States living with their grandparents or other kin, a 40 percent increase since 1980. This exploding sociological trend with far-reaching implications for our future spans every segment of our society--rich and poor, black and white, Asian and Hispanic, urban and suburban. Based on interviews with…

Discusses major changes in society and family life that disrupt the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren. These changes include separation by distance, divorce, death, or grandparents' choice. Maintains grandchildren can benefit from close contact with grandparents in terms of shared experiences. (BB)

The first point made in this presentation concerns the character of basic human needs, in relation to social groups and intimate relationships. Marjorie Fiske's report (1968) of the importance of confidants to the well-being of older persons has been replicated abundantly, but intimacy and confidants are not all people need. Older persons may also…

To date, fewer than a dozen studies of grandparenting have been reported. While a serious reading of the available data is premature, several lines of inquiry and issues can be identified and discussed. This presentation explores six general topics: (1) age and cohort differences, (2) sex differences, (3) social group differences, (4) individual…