Pocono News Section

Grandparents Look For Help Raising Grandchildren

Grandparents Look For Help Raising Grandchildren - Friday, June 4, 2010 at 04:09AM EST

Reported by: Monica Madeja
Friday June 04 2010

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- It is a demographic some say has been forgotten. The number of grandparents raising their grandchildren may surprise you.

The numbers in our area are probably higher than in many parts of the country. Nearly 190 thousand people in Northeastern Pennsylvania alone are in their second round of parenthood.

Nancy Schaffer is a new mom. At 51, she just gained sole custody of her two year old granddaughter Kayden after the baby's parents were sent to jail.

"She actually was born a heroin baby, said Schaffer. So far she doesn't have any kind of side effects from that."

Schaeffer drove more than three hours to get to an annual conference in Wilkes-Barre specifically for grandparents raising their grandkids.

"You get to hear stories, things that they went through and help each other and say this is what I did when I had that problem and this is what we do for this problem. It is very helpful to talk to parents, rather grandparents that are raising grandchildren," said Schaffer.

Schaffer is a younger grandma. The average grandparent raising kids is 47.

Schaffer said, "The difficult part is going to be in another year or two, to try and explain why what happened. Where are mommy and daddy? Why aren't mommy and daddy with me?"

The roadblocks of raising a child the second time around can vary. For some older grandparents something as simple as taking your kids to the park could be very difficult.

"At our age its not as easy as if you were young," said Donna McAdarra.

McAdarra and her husband Jim are raising their 9-year-old granddaughter with special needs. They feel like the state is not giving them the tools they need to live as senior citizens while still acting as parents the second time around.

"This area has like 49% grandparents raising grandchildren. They should have some kind of development for us. I feel like we don't belong. If you go like to an apartment complex, the people next to us are going to be 21, 25 with their kids. We're 70 and 60," said McAdarra.

T he organizers of Fridays conference stressed the importance of getting these grandparents the help they need with legal issues, education or behavior problems. If you are in the situation and need help call the Jewish Family Service of Greater Wilkes-Barre at (570) 823-5137. The service is available to the public regardless of where you live.