A Helpful Support System
By Ana Figueroa

Return to article Great-grandmother's tour of duty You can't say no to blood (from AARP Modern Maturity) Where to find help (AARP.org) Stretch across the generations Learning from our grandchildren

For Gustavo Bracamonte, 65, and his wife, Julia, 61, there was never any question of taking care of their five grandchildren. The only issue was how they would manage financially on Gustavo's limited pension.

The Bracamontes's grandchildren, ranging in age from two to 16, came to live with them. Their daughter had "gotten into some bad habits," says Gustavo. Unfortunately, the Bracamontes's one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles was too small to accommodate the children. Gustavo went back to work but could find only minimum-wage employment. The children were placed in foster care for six months until the Bracamontes found an affordable larger apartment. Today, they are "Pops" and "Nana," raising their four youngest grandchildren. (The oldest recently turned 18 and moved out on her own.)

The Bracamontes credit the Southern California-based Grandparents As Parents organization with giving them lots of information and fellowship, especially during group meetings. "We find that we can be the support system for other people who have even bigger problems than we have," says Gustavo. And sometimes, they unexpectedly get something in return. Explains Gustavo, "We were driving the kids around in my old 1963 truck. It was giving us a lot of trouble. One of the other grandparents in the support group told us not to worry. They were buying a new van, and they gave us their old one. We had just met these people. But that's how close you can become in some of these support groups."

With four grandchildren in their home, each day is a "learning experience," Gustavo observes. "I was raised by my own grandmother. But things were pretty different back then. We didn't even have television. Now, kids have all sorts of electronic games and videos. And we didn't have the concept of 'time-out' back then, for when a kid did something wrong." Another big issue," says Gustavo, is "trying to keep up with the younger generation on things like schoolwork. It doesn't look the same as it did when I was a kid. So, every day presents some new challenge."

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