Grandparents Who Parent Their Grandchildren: Circumstances and Decisions

This research is based on in-depth interviews with 114 grandparents who responded to advertisements that appeared in the media, schools, and courts. Three major categories of grandparent roles emerged from the data: custodial, living with the grandchild, and day-care roles. At one end of the continuum of care, custodial grandparents often obtain that relationship because of severe problems in the nuclear family. At the other end, day-care grandparents provide regular help to the grandchild's nuclear family. The decision to provide care is often based on an “impulse to care,” especially among custodial and living-with grandparents. Grandparents who provide regular day care to grandchildren generally have offered to do so.