Goblins and ghosts don’t scare me. What scares me is what scares many grandparents across the U.S., a grandchild at risk. Recently I was talking with a friend about my situation as guardian of my grandson, and she confided in me. She told me she’s scared every time her grandson goes back home with his mom. My friend “helps out” when her daughter finds herself in a tough spot. My friend worries there’s enough for her grandson to eat when he’s home with his mom. She worries he’s safe from the friends her daughter brings around him. She’s worried her daughter’s drug and alcohol abuse will resurface.
Everyday grandparents go to battle with demons of poverty, domestic violence, incarceration, and drug use. These grandparents step into the darkness to save children. They don’t receive any prize or reward. They receive the opposite. They battle in court. They fight their adult child to commit to sobriety. They are forgotten by the state, forgotten by their social circles as they’re left to raise a child with their retirement funds.
I say, bring it all on, exhaustion, worry, and stress. My 3 1/2 year old grandson often tells me how he believes I have superpowers. I agree. I do. I have the Grandparent super power of unconditional love.
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