According to the 2000
United States Census, 125,697 grandparents in
Maryland are living in a household with one or
more of their grandchildren under the age of 18,
and 50,974 grandparents in Maryland are
responsible for meeting their grandchildren's
basic needs. Why is this happening? According to
the AARP, grandparents are responding to problems
in the middle generation, such as parent illness,
divorce, incarceration, substance abuse, child
abuse, or neglect, by stepping in to fill the gap
created by the parents' problems. Most of these
grandparents did not expect to take on the
responsibility of raising their grandchildren and
are financially and mentally unprepared, and
physically pressed to keep up with the demands of
parenting.
Many are called upon to
raise their grandchildren alone, without the
involvement of the parents. Where do these
grandparents find the information and support they
need? Two reliable resources are AARP, and each
state's Department of Aging.
In Maryland, the
Department of Aging website address is
www.mdoa.state.md.us. Listed in the Site Map,
under "Caregiving", are links to the Grandparents
Resource Directory, and the Kinship Care Program.
At the AARP's website,
www.aarp.org/grandparents, an almost unlimited
amount of information is available, including
resources, booklists, a newsletter, fun, gifts,
etc.
AARP's "Parenting
Grandchildren" newsletter previously spotlighted a
book titled, Second Time Around: Help for
Grandparents Who Raise Their Children's Kids, by
Joan Callander. It offers information and
emotional support the author describes as a "tool
kit" she put together from her years of
experience. Amazon.com lists the book as currently
out of print, with limited availability. Sylvie De
Toledo and Deborah Edler Brown coauthored a book
titled Grandparents as Parents: A Survival Guide
for Raising a Second Family, that addresses
personal feelings and concerns, as well as legal
issues and support sources. This book is available
through Amazon.com. Also, these and other helpful
books may be found at local libraries.
An enormous amount of
information is available through an Internet
search, which will provide a list of websites for
the parenting grandparent, from serious to fun
sites like, "Off Our Rockers". If a computer is
not available at home, local library staff will
provide help with using the Internet from their
computers.
Another resource of
information and support is local crisis hotlines.
They not only handle crisis situations, they
maintain listings of local resources and referrals
for grandparents and the grandchildren they are
raising. Hotline numbers can be found in the front
pages of the area's telephone books. Frederick
County, Maryland's number is 301-662-2255.
G.A.P. (Grandparents as
Parents) is a national organization with chapters
operating throughout the country, working to
change the laws that affect this growing group of
grandparents. They offer legal advice and support
and the opportunity to meet other grandparents in
the same situation. Local chapters can be located
via an Internet search or a phone call to the
local Department of Aging.
Each Frederick County,
Maryland's CASS (Community Agency School Services)
office is another local resource that can offer
information and referrals to grandparents of
preschool and school age children. The Catoctin
CASS telephone number is 301-447-3755. For contact
information for the other Frederick County,
Maryland, CASS offices, please see our
Contact Us page.
Above all else,
grandparents needing help with raising their
grandchildren should feel comfortable contacting
their local resources and agencies, knowing they
are not alone, and that there are people who can
help them be successful.