A "GrandRally" for NM Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

from the NEW MEXICO NEWS CONNECTION - A statewide news service for New Mexico
Albuquerque - More than 41,000 kids are being raised by grandparents in New Mexico, according to the latest Census figures. A group of grandparents, including several from the Land of Enchantment, who have taken on the parenting role are in Washington, D.C. for the National GrandRally on May 7.

Retirement planning doesn't usually include raising children again, but it's a reality for thousands of New Mexico grandparents. More than 41 thousand kids in the state are being raised by grandparents, according to the latest Census, and 10 thousand more are being raised by other family members. A group of New Mexico grandparents are joining hundreds of others in Washington, D.C. tomorrow for the National GrandRally. Brigitte Castellano with the National Committee of Grandparents for Children's Rights says a second round of parenting is not an easy role to take on, "We need some recognition for the fine work that relatives do raising these children. Picture all of these children if we were not there, they would be in foster care."

Castellano says there are legal twists and turns, as well as money issues, for relatives raising children - and they're calling on states to make sure laws are in the best interests of the child. And Dr. David Rubin with Safe Place: Center for Child Protection and Health, says he's working on a study that will be released next month that shows that in most cases, the best place for kids displaced from their families is with relatives, "Major differences in terms of the risk of behavioral problems. Children in kinship care, a third of the children have behavioral problems, nearly half of the kids who are in foster care have behavioral problems three years later."  For more information visit www.grandrally.org  .