Raising four young children is an enormous challenge for any two parents, but imagine what a struggle it would be for a single grandmother. That’s what one Texas woman has been doing for years, having no other choice when the children’s mother turned to drugs.
The Houston grandmother knew that taking on four children would be difficult on her limited income, but she had no idea what a struggle she was up against until she realized all four suffered from mental disabilities. Three of the children were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the youngest child had autism and bi-polar disorder. It was almost too much for the woman to bear, and for a time she was too proud to ask for outside help.
Then she suffered a heart attack, and she had no choice. She called on caregivers and child advocates, and with their help, she managed to turn her family around; three of the children are now on the school honor roll. She vowed then to help other grandparents in the same predicament, knowing that like her, they had few to no resources for successfully raising another generation of children. The woman started a support group specifically for grandparents raising their children’s children.
Despite some 500,000 children being raised by their grandparents in Texas, there are few well-known resources for these guardians. They often have the additional challenges of children who have emotional scars from losing their parents, making the job of parenting even tougher. Some grandparents also face custody challenges from their own children, who aren’t able to provide a stable home environment.
At a time when they should be enjoying retirement, grandparents raising children have a tremendously important job. In order to do it right, they may need to rely on a variety of professionals for help. A family law attorney may be one of those professionals who can ensure that grandparents making the sacrifice to raise their children’s children are in the very best position to do so.
Source: My Fox Houston, “Woman raising her 4 disabled grandchildren and seeks to help others,” Greg Groogan, Feb. 26, 2013
- Our firm seeks to uphold the rights of grandparents raising children in Texas. To learn more about our practice, visit our Dallas family law page.