The GAP Generation

Success by 6® and United Way support the new GAP generation, meaning Grandparents as Parents. Society is changing, and there are a lot of grandparents raising their grandchildren. An Oakland Press ran a while back that indicated 42 percent of grandparents were acting as parents in Oakland County alone. So that’s why it really is a new generation. There are support groups for grandparents, such as the GAP program that I participate in. Most grandparents are on a limited income and through the GAP program and United Way Success by 6, grandparents can find resources needed to care for their grandchildren’s development needs as well as economic and basic needs like food and clothing.

I am very proud to be a part of all of that, knowing that there is support out there I do not feel alone because I see others in the same position I am.

When I first took over raising my three grandchildren, I was very overwhelmed. I was doing this out of my heart because I didn’t want them to get lost in the system. This same feeling is why most grandparents step up to the plate, because it’s a matter of the heart. Once our grandchildren are in the system it’s too hard to get them out. Even though I knew that, I still felt overwhelmed because I went from a 60 hour a week job to being a stay at home mom. As you get older, some people have a lot of patience and some people don’t, so I had to redevelop that patience. It was funny, my husband had all the patience with our children, but I have all the patience to deal with our grandchildren. Even though it was the right thing to do, it was overwhelming to have to start at the beginning again.

My husband and I had already moved to a smaller home thinking we were done raising our children. We had to make bedrooms and find resources for beds and other needs when our grandchildren came to live with us. I had to leave my job because it didn’t make sense to pay for daycare for three children, but that meant losing a source of income.

I had heard about the GAP program through Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency (OLHSA) because the need for resources was out there with so many of us serving in this role. We may not all go to the support group, but we still need the resources because many grandparents are living on just Social Security since most have retired. Most grandparents don’t know about all of the resources out there, and they need to know there is help and there are a lot of us to offer support.

A couple weeks ago myself and other grandparents traveled to Lansing with OLHSA to support a state bill that will provide more services and income to grandparents acting as parents. It passed in the Senate and we are just waiting for it to go through the House.

I am sure I am not the only grandma who feels overwhelmed at times with issues. We really need to spread the word in support of our grandchildren and their needs because they are the future and it’s our responsibility as grandparents and as the community to make sure they succeed and have a secure life.

Nancy Turcotte

Grandparent and participant in United Way's Success by 6