The family dynamics of a functional family has evolved over the years, and one significant aspect of it is the increasing role of the grand parents in the life of the grandchildren. Earlier, the roles were distributed between the parents only but as the society is evolving the working parents has also passed down the responsibilities of their kids to the grandparents. In addition, there are other major reasons as well that has transformed the power of care givers to grandparents. This trend has taken a step further as it brings the challenges and joys along with the vital role that the grandparents play as caretakers.
Traditionally, the grandparents played the role as the secondary caretakers by being there for their grandchildren occasionally and by offering them love and wisdom. However, with the changing dynamics of the society in terms of changes in the family structures and economic pressures their role has escalated. The grandparents now exist as the primary care takers of the grandchildren as they look into their education, health, social life and the finances.
As they say with the responsibility comes the challenges, the grandparents in fostering their grand children face immense challenges as well in the pathway of forming the identities of their children. From the physical demands to financial strains, they also go through the emotional roller coaster of life. The grandparents often suffer from adopting an active lifestyle for their children due to generational gap, but they never fail to disappoint by always being accountable for the responsibility they take. As seen in the book “Gunka and Me”, the author Tosha has beautifully put light on the relationship between grandma and the grandchild (Mason). As we delve more into the book it construes that Mason since childhood knows that his Gunka is always there for him and how she always takes care of him. Furthermore, it also helps the reader understand that the child mason suffered from ADHD in school but the Grandma made sure he was given medicine at the right time. This shows that grand parents suffer from their own health issues in life yet they care more about their own flesh.
The challenges that form the identity of the grand children leads to the most joyous moments for the grandparents at the same time. As alongside the journey of challenges they create an un breakable bond with their grandchildren by sharing the wealth of great life experiences which helps them grow and develop a sense of understanding of the world. Moreover, the grandparents rediscover the youth life as they see their grandchildren engaging in different activities, forming a social circle and facing the new challenges.
In the realm of foster care, the grandparents in the navigating path needs to prioritize selfcare, as well as seek support from the state on the harsh laws od adoption. As with being accountable for such vital roles they also need to take care of their own health and emotional being to be able to experience the beautiful relationship. Furthermore, the state should also make the adoption laws softer so that this charming bond of foster care is passed down to generations.
