This study examines transitions in grandchild care and the characteristics of grandparents making these transitions, using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of 13,626 grandparents in the 1998-2008 Health and Retirement Study. More than 60% of grandparents provided grandchild care over the 10-year period; more than 70% of…

This book challenges taken for granted views of early childhood across the globe. It deepens and broadens our understanding of what it means to be a child today and of the challenges children face in different parts of the world. It will be essential reading for all who work with young children or are students of early years education and…

Grandparents of children with disabilities have an expanded grandparental role that can include performance of child care, raising the grandchildren, and in some instances taking legal custody of the grandchildren. Grandparents in the extended family of a child with a disability have needs that must be identified in order to facilitate the…

This paper examines the diversity of experiences associated with grandparenting, as well as identifying factors that contribute to this diversity. The focus is grandparents in Canada, but international research is included as well. Following a list of highlights and an introduction, the paper addresses: (1) the demographic context of…

This study explored family structures in which grandmothers and grandchildren share residences; the degree to which grandmothers participated in parenting activities; and variability in grandmothers' parenting involvement resulting from their employment status and the family structure. (PCB)

Routine child care by grandparents was examined for 1,229 children who were participants in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care. Findings suggest that grandparent care, whether part- or extended full-time, is heterogeneous and may occur in response to different family circumstances.…

This study draws data from the Family Life Project to examine parenting behaviors observed for 105 mothers and grandmothers raising an infant in rural low-income multigenerational households. Multilevel models are used to examine the relationships between maternal age and psychological distress and parenting of the infant by both generations. The…

This brief publication offers advice to grandparents on their interactions with their grandchildren. Discussion first focuses on problematic aspects of the grandparenting role and then explores ways grandparents can improve the lives of children and ways grandchildren can improve the lives of grandparents. Readers are urged to use the suggestions…

The death of a child is a traumatic, nonnormative family life event. Although parental bereavement has received substantial attention, little research has focused on extended family members affected by a child's death, and still less on how multiple family members perceive and respond to one another following the loss. Guided by a life course…

Noting that grandparents in the parenting role are often overwhelmed by the problems of their children, grandchildren, and the social milieu in which they live, this manual presents a 14-session workshop series designed to empower grandparents who are raising their grandchildren alone. Designed to complement "To Grandmother's House We Go and…

The SEFAM Program (Supporting Extended Family Members) in Settle, WA, has organized workshops for grandparents of handicapped children. Questionnaire responses of 21 workshop participants touch upon their initial reaction to the handicaps, their needs, their contributions, and the supports available to them. (CL)

To determine grandparents' interest in grandparenting classes, 427 grandparents in the Washington, D.C. area completed an inventory of strengths and needs. Statistical comparisons reveal 10 significant differences between grandparents who are interested in grandparenting classes and those who are not. (SLD)

This book explores grandparenting at a time when roles and challenges facing grandparents are changing. Chapter one addresses "Grandparents in a Changing World" and describes grandparenting styles. Chapter two focuses on the "Unfinished Business between Adult Children and their Parents" and how a grandchild complicates this…

Discusses demographic changes which have altered the prevalence, timing, and sequencing of family transitions. Focuses on patterns of family deaths, grandparenthood, divorce, and remarriage. Suggests that researchers and practitioners view families as complex webs of lives and relationships. (Author/NB)

Following the birth of a handicapped child, both parent and grandparent experience similar feelings of consternation, shock, and grief. The grandparents' reaction is double, however, as they suffer not only for the newborn but for their own child's pain as well. This article focuses on dealing with grief and its stages, including numbness, denial,…