When grandparents raise grandchildren, it is for various reasons. It may be because there was the death of a parent or a parent is away in the military, but more often than not, there is a correlation between alcohol and drug abuse and neglect. The parent/s may be mentally ill, incarcerated, or simply and unfortunately incapable of caring for their children.

According to the U.S. 2000 Census, there were close to 2 1/2 million households with grandparents raising their grandchildren. This figure does not even count kinship caregivers such as people raising their brother or sister's children or, even yet, raising their niece or nephew's children. Fifty-seven percent of grandparents raising their grandchildren are still in the work force and 17% are living in poverty.

As grandparents we may have had no mental, emotional, or financial preparation when we began raising our grandchildren. It can be more than overwhelming. Everything, from needing diapers and formula, an appropriate car seat for the toddler, to dealing with a drug-addicted teenager, may need to be immediately addressed.

Grandparents raising children come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages. We may be young grandparents in our 40's, retired grandparents living on social security, or anywhere in-between. Whatever our differences may be we all have one commonality. We are raising children that we had most likely not expected to be raising.

Grandparents raising their grandchildren face a variety of challenges. The biggest ones seem to be the added financial stress, legal issues, emotional support, and their own health issues. Raising children in our 50’s or 60’s is definitely different than raising them in our 20’s and 30’s.

To learn more about Grandparents Raising Grandchildren visit www.raisingyourgrandchildren.com or visit Karen's Blog for grandparents at http://grandparenting.typepad.com.