Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Nurturing Through Adversity Trailer
Welcome to "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Nurturing Through Adversity." I’m your host, Laura Brazan, a parent and grandparent raising two grandchildren. In this podcast, we dive deep into the lives of grandparents who find themselves parenting once again, facing challenges such as dwindling retirement savings, loneliness, and handling the trauma that their grandchildren may carry. We'll hear heartfelt stories from grandparents like Betty Wilkes and Kathy Sjostrom who share their experiences of crisis and resilience. Coaches, John and Sylvie Weaver, speak about the importance of focusing on what we can do in the present moment. Expert Brian McLaren discusses the difficult art of "letting go," to make room for unexpected joys and the new legacies being crafted through the struggles of kinship care. Gain insights from experts on everything from financial advice, to parenting techniques and therapists knowledgeable in working with children who have experienced trauma. This community is here to honor your journey, explore solutions, and celebrate the strength it takes to raise grandchildren. Whether you’re seeking connection, advice, or just a chance to be heard, this podcast was made just for you!
Thank you for tuning into today's episode. It's been a journey of shared stories, insights, and invaluable advice from the heart of a community that knows the beauty and challenges of raising grandchildren. Your presence and engagement mean the world to us and to grandparents everywhere stepping up in ways they never imagined.
Remember, you're not alone on this journey. For more resources, support, and stories, visit our website and follow us on our social media channels. If today's episode moved you, consider sharing it with someone who might find comfort and connection in our shared experiences.
We look forward to bringing more stories and expert advice your way next week. Until then, take care of yourselves and each other.
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You've spent years dreaming of leisurely, worry free days, of mornings waking without the blare of an alarm clock, of quiet afternoons basking under the warm sun.
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Yet your reality is anything but that tranquil dream these days.
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Your retirement savings, once a growing comfort, now shrinks by the month, consumed by education costs you never expected, activities that were unforeseen and young lives you didn't anticipate. Caring for your social life feels like a distant memory. Your friends don't want to spend time around boisterous young children, and the conversations you wish you could share with others about the addiction, incarceration, or even loss of a child are just too heavy, too raw. Feelings of unease and hopelessness creep into your day to day. It's as if you've been thrust into, into a life you didn't choose, one you can't control. I think the key of happiness is to be in the moment, present. Because we don't have control of the future. We have to exactly understand who we are, what are our values, what is important for us, what makes us alive, etcetera, and to put the right action that match with that so that the future corresponds to us. But most of the time, it's about to leave the present moment.
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Because our brain spends his time regretting the past or being afraid of the future, it doesn't allow us to be very free to see the real vision for the future. When we go into crisis mode, we go into a process of self preservation. What that means is when we're faced with challenges, we tend to focus on those things that are out of our control.
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Those are the scary things, when really we would be much more successful with whatever it is we're trying to navigate in the moment.
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If we focused on those things that we can control. This podcast was made especially for you. Drawing from real stories and expert advice, we will explore the nuances of child rearing for children who have experience trauma and offer valuable resources to guide you through the intricate journey of kinship care. Every time I get into one of those, I'm so sick of doing this. I'm so glad Miss Garrett getting stuff together so she can get this baby, so I can get my life out. Running to someone whose story is much. Worse than mine, what do we actually. See when these kids are exposed to traumas? You just know it's not going to be easy. If you can get a group now that they're a group like this, there's things out there to listen to. There's so many more people doing it. Get together with somebody so that you can at least talk about things. It would have helped so much. Yet amidst the pain, there is resiliency. Tending to the children you hadn't penciled into your life plan at this stage can also fuel you to unearth hidden depths of strength, resources you didn't know you had. I'm having to let go. It's been interrupted. And I either have to let go of these children and my commitment to them, or I have to let go of my plans.
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And those are difficult. Letting go of my expectations, letting go of my comfort.
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There's a lot of letting go that is not easy, and there's no shortcut around it. And we have to be in a place where people give us permission to name it and to not make it sound like it should be easy. It isn't easy to let go. I'm your host, Laura Brazan. I'm the mother of three and a grandparent raising two grandchildren. If you long to live a fulfilling life and have a desire to leave an even greater legacy for your grandchildren, I hope you'll click the follow button, download the episodes for the grandparents raising grandchildren nurturing through adversity podcast and share in our conversations.
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Listen to real life stories from other grandparents raising grandchildren and interviews from experts on everything from finance to parenting techniques for children that have experienced trauma. And then the letting come phase comes where, well, there might be some new joys in this, there might be some new learnings in this. I might meet some people I never would have met. I might end up leaving a legacy I never thought I would have left. And we can't force those things. They have to come to us as we're ready and as they become clear.
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Welcome to a community where your voice is heard, your experiences are valued, and your journey is honored.
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