What is Kinship Care?

by guest blogger Kristie Lund

Coordinator/Group Facilitator at Relatives As Parents Project

Kinship care is the full time care, nurturing and protection of children by relatives, members of their tribes or clans, godparents, stepparents, or any adult who has a kinship bond with a child. This definition is designed to be inclusive and respectful of cultural values and ties of affection. It allows a child to grow to adulthood in a family environment. (Child Welfare League of America)

Who We Are:

Children

• More than 6.7 million children across the country live in households maintained by grandparents or other relatives.
• More than 4.8 million children live with grandparents, and about 1.9 million with other relatives like aunts or uncles.
• About 2.5 million of these children have no parents present in the home according to Census data analysis conducted by Generations United partners.

Grandparents

• About 2.5 million grandparents who live with their grandchildren report they are responsible for their own grandchildren.
• About 1.8 million of these grandparents are married and about 750,000 were never married, are widowed or divorced.
• About 950,000 of these grandparents are male. About 1.6 million of these grandparents are female.
• About 830,000 of these grandparents are age 60 or older.
• About 950,000 of these grandparents report that they have been responsible for the grandchildren for more than 5 years.

Kinship families are formed for different reasons – parental death, substance abuse, military deployment, incarceration, mental illness. As a result, families are in every area in the country, all income levels, all races, and all ethnicities.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2009 American Community Survey, an average of 1 in 10 school age children is being raised by a relative. (Generations United)

The following is a quote from my brochure for my support group:

“A relative raising their kin’s children is not a new idea. What is new is the support and information that is available to us. The commitment that we have made is not an easy one. We run into obstacles that the biological parents/foster parents do not face. We have huge emotional ups and downs that few understand. But the good news is we are not alone as we pursue our goals of offering love and guidance to these great kids.”

(c) 2012 by Kristie Lund

Views expressed by guest bloggers may not be the views of Washington Parenting Education Network or all of its members. Guest bloggers are wholly responsible for the content of their posts.

Practice the Art of Listening

by guest blogger Julietta Skoog

school psychologist at Seattle Public Schools

Listen

I am a talker by nature. I always have been. In high school I was on the debate team, in college I was the one hogging the hallway phone, and later in life I married a quiet, patient man whom I do not have to compete with to continue my babbling. You can imagine the shock when my daughter did not say a single word (not even mama!) until over 21 months old. My mother said it was because she couldn't get a word in edgewise. Fortunately this does not carry over into my day job. As a school psychologist, I spend my day listening to children tell me their good news, bad news, and hopes. I know how therapeutic it is to let them be heard, and encourage them to "tell me more." Then I go home and try to practice the art of listening with my own now chatty daughter. After all, if I am not listening to her, then how can I expect her to learn through my example? This simple Positive Discipline parenting tool can have profound effects, and is simply titled LISTEN:

Listen:
Children will listen to you AFTER they feel listened to.

1)Notice how often you interrupt, explain, defend your position, lecture or give a command when your child starts to talk to you.
2) Stop and just listen, it is okay to ask questions such as "Can you give me an example?? Is there anything else?"
3) When your child is finished, ask if he or she is willing to hear you.
4) After sharing, focus on a solution that works for both.

(c) 2012 by Julietta Skoog

Views expressed by guest bloggers may not be the views of Washington Parenting Education Network or all of its members. Guest bloggers are wholly responsible for the content of their posts.