Being a grandparent was supposed to be cake.
Ice cream dates, ballet recitals and hand-drawn pictures on the fridge.
All the stuff that makes up for the hard work of being a parent. Sometimes it still happens that way, where the grandchildren are brought over to be pampered and spoiled, then sent home for the serious work. But in many American homes, grandparents are doing the serious work. In more than 840,000 households, grandparents are raising their grandchildren single-handedly. In 1.5 million more, grandparents share their home with an adult child and grandchildren.