Just Like Raising Your Own? Grandmothers’ Perceptions of Parenting a Second Time Around*

• Author: Megan L. Dolbin‐MacNab
• Date: 01 December 2006
• Published date: 01 December 2006
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2006.00426.x

Just Like Raising Your Own? Grandmothers’ Perceptions

of Parenting a Second Time Around*

Megan L. Dolbin-MacNab

**

Abstract: A defining characteristic of grandparents raising grandchildren is parenting a second generation of chil-

dren. To learn how grandmothers compare parenting their grandchildren to parenting their children, 40 custodial

grandmothers were interviewed. Results of a qualitative analysis indicated that grandmothers perceived themselves as

wiser, more relaxed, and more involved with their grandchildren. Grandmothers also perceived added challenges

such as having limited energy, negotiating changing family roles, and parenting in a toxic social environment. In

terms of parenting behaviors and emotional bonds, some grandmothers saw similarities in parenting their children

and grandchildren. Findings suggest that custodial grandmothers would benefit from parent education and training

that takes into account their previous parenting experience yet still addresses the unique challenges associated with

parenting grandchildren.

Key Words: family gerontology, grandparents, grandparents raising grandchildren, intergenerational parenting, kinship

care.

Increasingly, grandparents are assuming parenting

responsibilities for their grandchildren. In the past

30 years, the number of American children being

cared for by a grandparent has more than doubled

to 4.5 million, representing 6.3% of all U.S. chil-

dren (Bryson, 2001). Grandparent caregivers now

number around 2.4 million, constituting 1.5% of the

caregiving population over the age of 30 (Simmons &

Dye, 2003). Grandparents typically assume parent-

ing responsibilities because of problems associated

with their grandchildren’s parents. These problems

include parental substance abuse, abuse and neglect,

incarceration, HIV/AIDS, mental illness, divorce,

and death (Jendrek, 1994; Pinson-Millburn, Fabian,

Schlossberg, & Pyle, 1996; Shore & Hayslip, 1994).

When grandparents assume caregiving responsi-

bilities, they frequently inherit significant parenting

challenges. Grandchildren may experience depression,

anxiety, health problems, behavior problems, aca-

demic difficulties, aggression, and feelings of anger,

rejection, and guilt (Billing, Ehrle, & Kortenkamp,

2002; Shore & Hayslip, 1994; Solomon & Marx,

1995). Although parenting a child with emotional

and behavioral problems would be challenging for

any caregiver, parenting may be especially difficult

for grandparents because of additional stressors asso-

ciated with the role. These stressors include legal

and financial problems, insufficient knowledge about

child development and current parenting strategies,

difficulties with their adult children, feelings of grief,

social isolation, health concerns, and psychological

distress (Jendrek, 1993; Minkler & Fuller-Thomson,

1999; Pinson-Millburn et al., 1996).

In spite of the vast body of research demonstrat-

ing the negative impact of assuming caregiving

responsibilities on grandparents’ physical and men-

tal health, the ways in which grandparent caregivers

parent their grandchildren have received little

empirical attention. Moreover, the limited research

that has addressed grandparents’ parenting has not

emphasized the fact that grandparent caregivers have

parented before and bring previous experiences,

*This research was funded by the Purdue Research Foundation Summer Research Grant and the Indiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate

Student Research Award.

**Megan L. Dolbin-MacNab is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Family

Therapy Center of Virginia Tech (0515), 840 University City Boulevard, Suite 1, Blacksburg, VA 24060 (mdolbinm@vt.edu).

Family Relations, 55 (December 2006), 564–575. Blackwell Publishing.

Copyright 2006 by the National Council on Family Relations.