Grandparents raising Grandchildren

JackE404783 · ‎06-13-2021

About nine years ago, I was recently retired and my wife was still working. As I was leaving to pick her up at the train, I received an expected call. It was the Social Worker working with my daughter and son in law's family, from Child Protective Services. We had an extremely short conversation, in which we discussed accepting custody of them. Having worked as a Child Protective Services Social Worker, I was familiar with the Foster Care Program. I barely let the Social Worker finish the sentence, asking only, "Where and when?".

We found out that our grandchildren had been both abused and neglected, and that our Autistic grandson was denied essential services by his, "parents". Since then, our son in law, was incarcerated and died following a drug overdose. Our daughter, who has both Mental Illness and Substance Abuse issues, had disappeared, and her whereabouts are unknown. Our grandchildren rarely ask about either of them, which is a mixed Blessing. I offer our story for support of others. We are Blessed, knowing that our grandchildren are being taken care of; our retirement has been given a sense of purpose.