They are grandparents who have taken over the task of raising their grandchildren. The Hendersons' dream of a carefree retirement has been put on hold. More than 35,000 Arizona children are growing up with a parent in prison. Nationally, 1.5 million children have lost a mom or dad who is locked up. For many, grandparents are left behind to hold it all together.
Experts say parenting skills often improve.
When addiction, incarceration or bad choices in life rob children of their parents, the job frequently falls to the grandparents. A list of resources for grandparents. 2 of a 3-part series One bullet can mean the death of a family. When murder steals a parent, grandparents find themselves struggling to create a new family for the littlest victims. Struggling to take the place of a beloved mother or father.