Raising Your Child's Child One out of six persons in the United States is a grandparent, and never have grandparents been more necessary to the family structure. This comes about because of single parent families unable to cope with the stress of child-rearing, illness, and death. In many families, grandparents provide a kind of glue that keeps relatives in contact with one another, and helps set the value system for all the family.
Strong values are at risk for too many families.
But what few people discuss is what happens when only grandparents are around to keep, not just values, but children themselves alive. Here's a letter from a grandmother that highlights the frustrations of raising a child's child. Dear Lois Four years ago I married a wonderful man. The first year we had him he was really good. Then once he felt comfortable with us, he became every parent's worst nightmare.