Sometimes we think we are the only ones with issues.  I know that many Grandparents in the United States are in financial difficulty, but I found this article from England. Check it out.

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Grandparents who look after children whose parents have died, fallen ill or cannot care for them to get new rights including paid leave

·         From next year adoptive parents will be entitled to paid leave

·         PM said this new right could be extended to grandparents

·         They currently get a 'raw deal', according to David Cameron 

By LEON WATSON FOR MAILONLINE

Grandparents who look after children whose parents have died, fallen ill or are unable to provide adequate care could be given parental rights to paid leave, the Prime Minister has said.

From next year adoptive parents will be entitled to nine months of paid leave.

David Cameron said yesterday the Conservatives may consider a manifesto commitment to extending this new right to grandparents who become the guardians of their grandchildren.

Amos Sewell2

Prime Minister David Cameron has said some grandparents could be given parental rights to paid leave

David Cameron: 'Nothing matters more than family'

They currently get a 'raw deal', according to the PM.

He said: 'You do see sometimes grandparents stepping in and effectively bring up children, and of course under the rules they don't get quite the same rights as others.

'What you are saying is that if you can extend to adoptive parents things that birth parents have in terms of rights, couldn't you do that for grandparents?

'That is something I am very happy to look at in terms of the manifesto, and we have got some Conservative MPs here who have got some responsibility for giving me ideas, so I am sure they will take note of it.'

It is estimated that more than 200,000 grandparents become their grandchildren's carers when parents die, become ill or because of drug and alcohol abuse.

They are often unwilling to adopt or foster the children because they do not want to 'paint the parent out of the picture'.

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It is estimated that more than 200,000 grandparents become their grandchildren's carers when parents die, become ill or because of drug and alcohol abuse (file picture) 

Campaigners want paid parental leave to be extended to grandparents, as well as four to six weeks of unpaid leave during the 'crisis' period while children are settling in and are being kept out of care.

Last year a pensioner won the right to be treated as her grandson's foster mother.

The woman from Derbyshire, 68, who has been looking after the 13-year-old since he was a baby, went to the High Court after learning she would receive twice as much financial support if she was a stranger.

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2728467/ 

Sexting......It is a Teenage Epidemic

I had hoped by the time I reached my "golden years" (whatever that means) that I would not be dealing with the hormones of a sixteen year old. But alas that is not be be.  The call came from the school about the boys who were in possession of an "inappropriate" photo on their cell phones.  It was not only my teenagers it was a whole passel of them and the picture was a girl in their class.

In this day and age of social media we don't worry so much about the Playboy magazines hidden under the bed, now it is what is on the phone, the computer, the IPAD and all the other electronics that they may have access to.  Many times we have had the "talk".  Respect the females in your life. Know that your actions reflect your attitude. People will judge by what they perceive you think or do.

I had hoped this would forestall any of these calls from the principal but alas this was not meant to be.  How did we handle this issue.  First the phone, take it check out the contents and make him earn it back.  Second more talk, what can happen if he has possession of such material when he turns eighteen, child pornography is a crime.  Third work with the school for an appropriate punishment.

This turned out to be a one day suspension and a day of cleaning the leaves from the gutters, stowing away the summer equipment, raking the leaves, doing the dishes, running the vacuum and generally just slave labor for a day.  Did this work?  No one really knows for sure.  I just know this type of sexting is at epidemic proportions in our society and it is critical that you keep checking to insure your teenagers isn't taking and posting nude pictures of themselves, receiving pictures from their friends and finally positing them on social media sites.

The boys were one step away from the sheriff and the main perpetrator is expelled from school.  Mostly I worry about what happened with the young girl.  How must her parents and grandparents feel and what can they do to help her understand the damage that was done by this picture.

This article really shows the issue with real numbers:

Teenage Sexting Statistics

In a recent survey posted by The National Campaign, some alarming statistics about teenage sexting were uncovered. Sexting seems to be the newest craze among teenagers and it is a very dangerous craze. Sexting is when a person takes a flirtatious, nude or semi-nude picture of their self and sends it to others through their cell phone or other means of texting device.

Should parents be concerned about sexting? Yes, especially when you read some of the sexting statistics below.  Kids are sexting to people they only met online, they are sexting to boyfriends and girlfriends or potential companions.  Some of the teenagers are sexting out of peer pressure. Some just do it for fun. But they are doing it and a parent needs to be aware of the potential dangers of sexting.

Not only can sexting ruin reputations, but it can also get your teenager arrested for distributing child pornography. This has happened quite frequently lately as you can see by some of the news stories about sexting. The images also get circulated on the Internet. Parents need to monitor their kids cell phone very closely. Cell phone monitoring can be done either physically or with the help of a software service like Mobile-Spy Or WebWatcher.

Here are Some of the Shocking Sexting Statistics:

The percent of teenagers who have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or video of themselves:

• 20% of teenagers overall
• 22% of teen girls
• 18% of teen boys
• 11% of young teen girls ages 13-16

The percent of teenagers sending or posting sexually suggestive messages:

• 39% of all teenagers
• 37% of teen girls
• 40% of teen boys

15 Percent of teenagers who have sent or posted nude or seminude images of themselves say they have done so to someone they only knew online.

48 Percent of teenagers say they have received such messages

71 Percent of teen girls and 67% of teen guys who have sent or posted sexually suggestive content say they have sent or posted this content to a boyfriend or girlfriend.

21 Percent of teenage girls and 39% of teen boys say they have sent such content to someone they wanted to date or hook up with.

44 Percent of both teen girls and teen boys say it is common for sexually suggestive text messages to get shared with people other than the intended recipient.

36 Percent of teen girls and 39 % of teen boys say it is common for nude or semi-nude photos to get shared with people other than the intended recipient.

51 Percent of teen girls say pressure from a guy is a reason girls send sexy messages or images; only 18 % of teen boys cited pressure from female counterparts as a reason.

66 Percent of teen girls and 60% of teen boys say they did so to be “fun or flirtatious”; their most common reason for sending sexy content.

52 Percent of teenage girls used sexting as a “sexy present” for their boyfriend.

44 Percent of both teen girls and teen boys say they sent sexually suggestive messages or images in response to such content they received.

40 Percent of teenage girls said they sent sexually suggestive messages or images as “a joke.”

34 Percent of teen girls say they sent or posted sexually suggestive content to “feel sexy.”

12 Percent of teen girls felt “pressured” to send sexually suggestive messages or images.

See More Sexting Statistics. Hint: It isn't getting any better.

from: http://www.pcsndreams.com/

 I found this article and thought I would share it...

SMART SPENDING

Financial help with raising grandchildren

By Marilyn Bowden • Bankrate.com

Highlights

·         Some government programs offer tax breaks, subsidies or cash to caretakers.

·         Taking advantage of these programs may require some form of legal custody.

·         Guardianship grants physical and legal custody, but is not always best.

Raising children is expensive. This is especially true for some older people who, instead of winding down to a leisurely retirement, find themselves once again raising youngsters -- this time, their grandchildren. Financial and social programs can help, though many of them require some form of formal custody arrangement.

A number of government programs offer tax breaks, subsidies or even cash to those with dependents who are not their children, says Elaine King, vice president and director of Wealth & Well-Being Institute at Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust in Coral Gables, Fla. They include the following:

·         Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. The benefits from this financial assistance program for low-income families, King says, may include cash and day care expenses, depending on the state and an applicant's situation. Even if a household's income is too high to qualify as a family, grandparents can apply for a child-only grant based on the child's income. This is a federal program administered by the state.

·         Medicaid. Caregivers who are family members but not parents can apply in the child's name, says King. Qualifying criteria include the child's income and whether applicants have private health care insurance.

·         Social Security Survivors Benefits. Children whose parents are deceased are often eligible for these.

·         Supplemental Security Income. This benefit provides monthly benefits to the disabled, including disabled children.

·         Earned income tax credit. Federal guidelines for working grandparents allow tax breaks if the taxpayer is caring full time for dependent children.

·         Subsidized guardianship. Although not available everywhere, programs exist in some states to subsidize caretakers who are legal guardians.

The best way to find out what you're eligible for is to check with your local Social Security office, says King.

Custody options

Taking advantage of these programs may require not only proof of kinship but also some sort of legal custody, says Marty Platt Jendrek, professor of sociology and gerontology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

In fact, she says, without custody, or at the very least written authorization from a parent, there can be problems with such basic things as registering a youngster at school or taking a child to a doctor.

The options vary from state to state and depend on whether the child's parents are living, says Jendrek.

One possibility is court placement or foster care. In this scenario, the court appoints the grandparents as caretakers, but retains legal custody of the child.

"Some will go for custody instead of full adoption, with the notion that the parents can come in at some other time," says Jendrek. "Most grandparents go to great lengths to make sure that the parent is involved in the child's life."

Guardianship is an option that grants grandparents physical and legal custody, but it can be expensive and emotionally fraught because it involves proving the child's parents are unfit.

Outright adoption is permanent custody, and is most common when the parents are no longer living.

Read more: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/financial-help-with-raising-grandchildren-1.aspx#ixzz3FZCdj4aQ 
Follow us: @Bankrate on Twitter | Bankrate on Facebook

  This is my new blog where I hope to look into the challenges of grandparents who are now raising their grandchildren.  First a little history. I am a single grandmother who's youngest son and his wife have severe drug issues. As a result I took control of my two precious grandsons three years ago. The oldest just turned 18 years old and the younger is now 16.  It has been a challenge over these past few years not only emotionally but financially.  My daughter is also helping to raise and support them as we all live together and it takes us both to make this work.

I have found there is little help for our segment of society even though it is growing by leaps and bounds. With the epidemic of drug addiction and the many who have been rendered helpless with these additions more and more grandparents are taking on the children to insure they have a safe and secure environment. There is little information and less available help for the grandparent in this situation.

It is so important that the children have an opportunity to lead a normal (as possible) life and there is no way that I would have ever turned my back on these two beautiful boys.  It was a challenge to bring them from such a desperate situation and have them believe that they would not have to be the parents to their parents anymore.  They had lived with no rules and no security for the past few years and as a consequence they would have a time of adjustment that was difficult for both them and me.

Establishing rules and boundaries was the first order of business.  Calling home, checking in, not running away to avoid going home was no longer acceptable.  This took some time but eventually it became clear to them that I really did care and needed to know they were OK. Not hurt, not in trouble, not wandering but at home, on the way home or secure with permission in another home.

Just making them a special place in my home was a challenge, they had to have bedding, clothes, toiletries and more just to get them started. As a single grandmother on a fixed income this was a challenge, but with the help of Goodwill we were able to pull a room together and they settled in.

It was important to us that the boys were secure and knew that we would care for them, love them and be certain they would always have a good place to call home.  They soon discovered that they could invite their friends to our home and they would be welcome and not be exposed to any illicit activities.  They began to accept the rules and appreciate their place in their home.  Their parents knew this was the best thing for the boys and did not object or cause any issues because of the change.

As I continue this blog I will be searching for resources for other Grandparents raising their Grandchildren. Whether it be medical, financial or just how to cope with the kids at any age.  I hope it helps those of you who click on and read.