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Entry bubble When Grandma's in Charge

By: Nancy | September 04, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

This Sunday is the 30th annual National Grandparents Day. I kind of figured it was a holiday invented by the greeting card companies and florists. But to my shame, it's real. It was started by a West Virginia lady named Marian McQuade, who wanted to draw the younger and older generations closer together.

As I was looking into what government resources there were online for grandparents, I was shocked by a set of statistics from the US Census Bureau: 2.4 million grandparents are their grandchildren's main caregivers and providers. And a majority of those grandparents are under the age of 55. If you're involved in raising or caring for your grandkids or other young relatives in your home, the government has lots of information to help.

grandma

You know from bringing up your own children: kids are expensive! If you're financially responsible for your grandkids, check out these tips for making the most of the tax credits you're entitled to if your grandchildren are your dependents. Find out how to pay for their health care and how to be sure they're properly immunized.

If you have young grandkids in your home, childproofing's a must, as is making sure, when you go out, that car seats are the right size and are installed correctly.

USA.gov's Grandparents Raising Grandchildren section is full of even more links from around the government and other sources you can trust, like AARP, for help on everything from finding childcare options to making sure the toys you give your grandkids are safe to helping them as they adjust to moving in with you or your moving in with them.

Got a minute to get sentimental? I'd love to hear some stories about your grandparents or your grandkids. Brag on them a little—what makes your "grands" so grand to you?

| Post a Comment | View Comments [6] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: children   grandparents   health   insurance   money   nancy  

Comments (6):

blue comment bubble Posted by Bean on September 04, 2008 at 11:33 AM EDT

My grandparents all passed by the time I was very young. In elementary school, teachers would host "grandparents" day where the grandparents came to school with their grandkids for a portion of the day. For those of us without grandparents, members of the local Kawanis club would "adopt" us for the day. It was a great way for different generations to connect!

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blue comment bubble Posted by luckylady46158 on September 04, 2008 at 03:17 PM EDT

my grandmother raised my sister and i from ages 5-13 because my mother was ill. i'm so thankful that i had my grandparents. i don't know where i would be today if it weren't for them. thank you grandma and grandpa.

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blue comment bubble Posted by skow11@verizon.net on September 05, 2008 at 02:32 PM EDT

the dead might just as well talk to the living as the old to the young......good luck.....nothing will stick to the wall..............

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blue comment bubble Posted by Kaye - SandwichINK on June 06, 2009 at 11:12 PM EDT

I am blessed to have 9 grandkids - 4 on one coast near me and 5 on the other. I am a caregiver for the grandkids close to me and love the time we get to spend together. We do plenty of reading, plenty of playing and plenty of hugging. Some of our favorite games include Dodgeball, Gobblet and PicturEureka.

I appreciate the great links on this site. I'll be sharing this site on Twitter and on my website which is geared for those in the Baby Boomer Generation who are caregivers for aging parents and grandkids at the same time. Thanks :)

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blue comment bubble Posted by SandwichINK.com on June 18, 2009 at 03:24 AM EDT

[Trackback] Valuable resources for the Baby Boomer Generation of caregivers and grandparents who help make up the Sandwich Generation.
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blue comment bubble Posted by merry on July 20, 2009 at 03:22 AM EDT

it gives more pleasure.I like it.

Merry

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