When addiction, incarceration or bad choices in life rob children of their parents, the job frequently falls to the grandparents.
Grandparents tend to blame themselves.
And the legal system tends to say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Some grandparents understand they made mistakes with their own children, Melrood said. But what seems very, very clear is given another chance, these grandparents are more than eager to learn the right way to do things. Other grandparents were competent parents, but something went wrong with the adult child, Melrood said. Juvenile Court Judge Nanette Warner said grandparents want to do what is right for grandchildren.