Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Telling Our Stories (Full Length)

The documentary Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Telling Our Stories provides a glimpse into the realities faced by several grandparent led families from across BC. These grandparents didn’t plan to be full time caregivers at this later stage in their lives. Their stories are varied, but many of the threads are the same: loss, isolation, grief, hardship, love and determination. The grandchildren are their priority and they need and deserve, love, stability and all the support possible to ensure they can succeed in life. “This documentary will make you laugh, make you cry, and we hope, make you think.”
What are your plans after your children have grown, left home, and had children of their own? Do you ever imagine yourself – raising your grandchildren – full time? Growing numbers of grandparents are raising their own grandchildren. Why? Sometimes a parent has died, sometimes it is because of mental illness, the stories are varied, but the reality is that these grandchildren have often faced trauma, and neglect. They are kids who desperately need loving care. These grandparents raising grandchildren (GRGs) didn’t plan to be full time caregivers at this stage in their lives.
Unlike foster parents, GRGs receive little, to no, financial support. They try and navigate our labyrinth of complicated bureaucracies – legal, financial, and governmental. They feel isolated. Their friends aren’t raising grandchildren. Seniors organizations tend not program for elders who are raising children full time. Seniors housing is adult only.
Over the years, Parent Support Services Society of BC (est 1974) began to hear more and more from this growing population of grandparents who raise their grandchildren. These grandparents decided to make a movie about their stories.
Help Parent Support Services of BC tell these unique and powerful stories of resilience.
Parent Support Services runs Support Circles for grandparents and other caregivers across BC.

[suecowles]

God Bless all these Grandparents!!! You need to be recognized for doing this... These children are blessed and it would be my prayer they grow up to know just how blessed they are.

[KourttneyL]

My grandma was able to take all 6 of us. She is so strong. I am so very blessed to have my grandma as my guardian.

[ellp]

My heart goes ❤️ to anyone raising children that they didn’t birth! All children deserve to be loved and feel wanted!! No child chooses to be here we choose for them!!!
So much respect ✊ to these these people!

[marenawhite]

The 1year I lived with my grandparents was the best year of my young life. I got C pluses and Bs in school and being enthusiastic about my life. Once I started drinking and using drugs my grandmother said she wasn’t going to deal with this again. I went back home and got into serious criminal and drug addiction problems.
I don’t blame my grandparents for not being able 26:25 to keep me with them 😇
They gave me the gifts of love no matter what I did or didn’t do. God bless them both ❤

[lynnohrel]

I’ve been raising my great granddaughter since she was born. That was 10 years ago last month. Best decision I ever made. ❤️♥️

[gungholio]

My grandparents raised me from the time I was 8 to the time I was 16. I have nothing but good things to say about them

[tamerastewart]

We have had our 2 grandsons for 3 years. My son died 5 years ago. Mom brought the boys to us when she just couldn’t do it. We haven’t seen her since.

[kylienkate]

Thank you for sharing this! Grandparents raising grandchildren need so much more support, recognition, respite, and attention than we give them.

[CDN]

God bless these grandparents. God bless them richly.

[sydneyrica]

This was so touching! I was raised by grandparents and they helped me through college. Its difficult for the grandparents because children don't understand what's going on and can feel abandoned. For anyone going through this, I hope these children know they are loved and that the grandparents know they are a blessing!

[michellemoore]

These grandparents are making a difference in those young lives

[vampirepitbull]

my wife and i have had our three beautiful grandchildren now for over a year. the parents both on drugs. My daughter lives five minutes away and goes months without seeing the children. It happens allot, But tonight my two year old granddaughter woke up and came in our room and just wanted rocked back to sleep. But tonight was different. I picked her up and began to rock. and she looked up at me and said. pawpaw. where did my mommy go. I miss and worry and love my daughter very much. and at that moment i felt more pain than i thought humanly possible and began to sob. On one hand i hurt for and over my daughter and on top of that i hurt for my granddaughter. I didnt know pain like that existed. thats all.

[maccart]

Love and hugs to all Grandparents raising Grandchildren 💕

[reemagee]

I work for a social service agency and i see this alot. God bless these grandparents

[MT-futx]

My heart is so broke but so full at the same time. The grand and great grandparents are so wonderful. This breaks my heart.

[brucelevine]

I wish all these grandparents strength , good health and success G-d should bless you all for the love you give

[dianekennedy]

I work for one of the major U.S. supermarket chains. Trust me, I've seen the scenarios presented in this video time and again. There are many, many grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. So much of the time, the reason why boils down to one word - drugs. What really floora me is that some of them are actually GREAT grandparents. I don't know what this world is coming to. My hear goes out to these grandparents and great grandparents (sometimes aunts and uncles also) who care enough to step up to the plate.

[mistyhi]

This made me cry! Our Grandparents having to go through so much to raise our Grandchildren. It's a struggle at times! Financially it can pull us down a whole lot & it can be very hard to find support for us out there. Thank God (& I mean this literally) for an organizations like GRG! I appreciate you guys very much & I'm happy to know that when I need help, I know I can call on our GRG trust here in New Zealand. Thank you for sharing & hearing other stories about what other Grandparents (from other parts of the world) are going through or have gone through with bringing up their grandchildren & their struggles they had to endure along the way. As well as all the positive that comes out of it also! God Bless You...

[rosegarza]

thank you for sharing your story. I can relate because I was raised by my grandparents because my mom couldn't take care of me

[Splendid_PC]

I was raised by Grandparents, sometimes mishap happens in marriage and its the grandparents that mostly step in thats what my grandparents did for me, they raised me, financially supported with their pension, i am 23 now, sadly my grandpa passed when i was in final year of college ! It is a kind of blessing that i was lucky enough to have such a great grandparents but unlucky enough to have selfish deadbeat parents.