The Grandparent Economy

As a society, we have always known the amazing value, magnificent support, and exceptional impact of grandparents. And yet, we are now learning that there is a grandparent economy. According to AARP Research, U.S. grandparents contribute astounding $900 billion annually to the economy through unpaid childcare ($731B) and direct financial support ($172B). This gold-plated relationship shows how incredibly valuable grandparents are to children, parents, school systems, the church, the community-at-large, and the economy.

While the average grandparent spends at least $2,654 per year on their grandchildren, there is another side of this equation that should cause us to get on our knees to pray and rise to act.

A Startling Trend: Grandparent are raising their grandchildren

Did you know that more than 2.5 million children in the U.S. are being raised full-time by their grandparents—without a parent present, often due to economic hardship, neglect, addiction and beyond? Grandparents are raising their grandchildren. It’s an alarming trend. There are some positives—children being raised by their grandparents are usually stable, for every child that is in the foster care system, there are about 25 kids being raised by grandparents. Also, families raising a grandchild save the taxpayers over $6 billion each year—because they keep the kids out of foster care.

The biggest challenge though, is the potentially shaky family dynamics, especially with a rogue parent, addiction issues, legal problems and beyond. In the United States, approximately 13 million children are living in homes with their grandparents. What can we do as a society to support these families?

Here are a few suggestions: Pray for families with grandparents raising grandchildren, start a prayer group for grandparents, offer children care, drop off meals periodically and, share resources that might be helpful to grandparents.

Grandparent Warmth: A Beacon of Faith for Grandchildren

According to Scripture Union-USA, surprising research reveals that a grandparent’s warmth may be the strongest predictor of whether faith is passed on to the next generation. The Longitudinal Study of Generations followed more than 350 families for 50 years and determined that the emotional closeness of the relationship was a better predictor of whether faith carried forward than church attendance or doctrinal instruction. Also, a faithful, engaged grandparent could bridge the gap when a parent was absent or disengaged. These insights should encourage us to nurture the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren. Further, the Barna Group research shows that while 73% of parents are concerned about their children’s spiritual development and 85% accept personal responsibility for it, fewer than 10% have any kind of plan. Most report no training, tools, or accountability. While many parents are worried about pushing too hard, this situation opens the door for grandparents to fill the gap—and most often they want to step in—to provide spiritual guidance, share stories of faith, sit down together and open the bible, and deliver truth-filled stories testimonies about what God is doing in their lives. Now, that’s a recipe for success!

The Generational Impact of Abortion

In closing, we can’t talk about the joy of grandparenting, without talking about the sadness, the pain and the grieve associated with parents who will never know their grandchildren until they get to heaven—because of abortion. With more than 65 million abortions in the United States and counting since 1973, it’s hard to grasp the depth of sorrow that lingers in our culture because of abortion. When pro-abortionists decry about reproductive freedom, they don’t share the despair, along with the irreversible consequences of taking innocent life and the massive generational impact. For abortion recovery resources, please go to: www.supportafterabortion.com

Let’s Pray for Grandparents

Heavenly Father, we thank you for grandparents. They are sweet, caring, loving and treasure the relationship they have with their grandchildren. They pick up the kids from school, teach etiquette, share incredible stories about their life, and stand in the gap to uplift the next generation. Lord, please bless the work of their hands, give them the resources they need to help raise their grandchildren in the admonition of the Lord, and encourage their hearts as they instill faith that will last a lifetime. We thank you Lord for the marvelous gift of grandparents, they are a treasure to you and a divine gift to us all.

Thank you again Lord for showering your love on us by placing grandparents in our lives, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4

Guest Contributor: Sheryl Sellaway, Righteous PR