THIS IS AMERICA - Life for Many Grandparents Not All Fun and

THIS IS AMERICA - Life for Many Grandparents Not All Fun and Games
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, June 13, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

 
 
And I'm Shirley Griffith. A grandmother wants to show a friend some pictures of her one-year-old grandson. The friend is happy to look. She looks at pictures of the little boy playing. She looks at pictures of him sleeping, smiling, laughing, crying, putting food in his hair. After fifteen minutes of this, the friend does not look so happy anymore.

VOICE ONE:

But who can get angry at a proud grandparent? In fact, our program this week is all about grandparents.

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VOICE TWO:

Some children get to see their grandparents all year. The grandparents live close enough to come watch the children play sports or perform in a school play. For other children, the only chance they might get to spend much time with their grandparents is during summer, when school is out.

Many Americans live far away from their grandparents. Suzy Karpel, a school mental-health specialist, deplores¹ this fact of modern life. Miz Karpel says she often sees families that could use the advice and support of grandparents. She says this is true especially when problems develop. Then parents might wish most that they had a helpful grandparent nearby.

VOICE ONE:

Grandparents have already gone through the daily cares and worries of raising children. Now those children have grown up and have their own kids to worry about.

Yet many grandparents in the United States have to take a major part in caring for their grandchildren.

The research organization RAND says that at any one time, ten percent of grandparents live only with a grandchild. RAND says four million children in the United States live with their grandparents.

But two-and-one-half-million of them also have at least one of their parents in the same home. These children represent around four percent of all grandchildren.

RAND researchers say this percentage has not changed much in recent years. But the numbers have grown with increases in the number of young people in the United States.

VOICE TWO:

Nearly one-and-one-half million children live with their grandparents only. This is two percent of all grandchildren. The Rand researchers say this rate has increased in recent years, but not by much. It had been decreasing from nineteen forty through the nineteen eighties.

RAND says African American children are more likely than others to live with their grandparents. The researchers report that about eight percent of black children live with their parents and grandparents. Almost six percent live only with their grandparents.

The researchers say black grandmothers historically have played a more important part in child raising than white grandmothers. The researchers add that higher poverty rates among minority families may also help explain these numbers.

VOICE ONE:

Some grandparents who care for their grandchildren have legal custody². This means that they are legally responsible for raising the children.

Other grandparents take care of their grandchildren full time, but do not have legal control. In some cases, one or both parents also stay in the grandparents' home but are unable to care for their children.

There are different reasons that grandparents may become caretakers for their grandchildren. In some cases, the parents are dead, or on drugs, or in jail³. Or they mistreated their children.

Some grandparents take care of their grandchildren only during the day. This is so one or both of the parents can work or attend school.

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VOICE TWO:

Mental health specialists say there is no way to know how children will feel living with their grandparents. Some feel happy and secure⁴. Others mourn the loss of the family situation they had before. They might not want to listen to their grandparents or do what the grandparents tell them.

VOICE ONE:

Grandparents can also face other problems. In some cases, even if they receive public aid, they may struggle to support their grandchildren. Grandparents with jobs may have to find additional⁵ child care.

And there are other considerations. Grandparents who are responsible for young children might not have the energy to take care of them. Health is an issue. What if the grandparents die? Then who would take care of the children?

VOICE TWO:

Social workers say many grandparents who care for their children's children feel lonely. They may not have anyone to talk to about the children's health or schoolwork or the normal problems of growing up.

A program in Dorchester, Massachusetts, helps caretaker grandparents deal with situations like these. The program is called GrandFamilies House. Grandparents and their grandchildren live together in apartments. Most of the grandparents are women.

VOICE ONE:

A place like GrandFamilies House helps keep families together. A GrandFamilies official says the grandparents are glad to be able to keep their grandchildren out of foster⁶ care. Foster care is a system in which government agencies⁷ place children in temporary homes or emergency shelters.

The idea behind GrandFamilies is spreading. In New York, public and private organizations have developed a similar housing⁸ program. It is called Presbyterian Senior Services Grandparent Family Apartments. There are fifty such apartments in a new building. It was built just for this purpose. The building is in one of the poorest areas of the city, the Morrisania community in the South Bronx.

New York City has eighty-five thousand households in which grandparents are the main caretakers of children. More than seventeen thousand of them are in the Bronx, one of the five boroughs⁹ in America's largest city.

Services at the Grandparent Family Apartments include after-school help with studies and Internet use for young and old alike¹⁰.

VOICE TWO:

Some grandparents in the United States never see their grandchildren. Sometimes this happens after a mother and father are no longer married, or one parent dies. Or there may have been a conflict between the parents and the grandparents.

Courts in some states have decided¹¹ that grandparents have no legal right to visit their grandchildren without permission. Other states make it possible to ask a court for visitation rights. But a group called the Grandparents Rights Organization says even then it is not easy for grandparents to win.

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VOICE ONE:

Americans celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day. There is also a Grandparents Day. It was established in nineteen seventy-eight. Grandparents Day is observed in September. Some families gather for a special meal. Others telephone or send gifts or cards or an e-mail to grandparents far away.

VOICE TWO:

AARP, the organization formerly¹² known as the American Association¹³ of Retired¹⁴ Persons, has an area for grandparents on its Web site. The resources include some suggested books on grandparenting. These are books with names like "The Grandparent Guide: The Definitive¹⁵ Guide to Coping¹⁶ with the Challenges of Modern Grandparenting." And, "The Don't Sweat Guide for Grandparents: Making the Most of Your Time with Your Grandchildren." Still another is called "The Nanas and the Papas: A Boomers' Guide to Grandparenting."

Boomers are Americans who were born during the big population increase -- the baby boom¹⁷ -- in the years after World War Two. As they grew up, they listened to the music of groups like the Mamas and the Papas. Now, many are mamas and papas with children old enough to have babies of their own.

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VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver¹⁸. Our engineer was Kelvin Fowler. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. Our programs are on the Web at www.tingroom.com. Our e-mail address is special at voanews.com Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 deplores   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He often deplores his past sins. 他经常痛悔自己过去的罪恶。 来自辞典例句
• Regretting the lack of spontaneity and real sensuousness in other contemporary poets, he deplores in Tennyson. 他对于和他同时代的诗人缺乏自发性和真实的敏感，感到惋惜，他对坦尼森感到悲痛。 来自辞典例句

2 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

3 jail   

n.监狱，看守所；vt.监禁，拘留

参考例句：

• The castle had been used as a jail.这城堡曾用作监狱。
• If she carries on shoplifting,she'll end up in jail.她如果还在店铺里偷东西，最终会被抓进监狱的。

4 secure   

adj.无虑的，安心的，安全的；adj.牢靠的，稳妥的；vt.固定，获得，使...安全；vi.(海上工作人员)停止工；vi.(船)抛锚，停泊

参考例句：

• He found a secure foothold and pulled himself up.他找到了一个稳固的踏脚处并爬了上去。
• Extra men are needed to secure the camp against attack.需要增加兵力以保护军营免受攻击。

5 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

6 foster   

vt.收养，培养，促进；adj.收养的，收养孩子的

参考例句：

• Nowadays young couple sometimes foster.现今年轻夫妇有时领养别人的孩子。
• The captain did his best to foster a sense of unity among the new recruits.队长尽力培养新成员之间的团结精神。

7 agencies   

n.代理( agency的名词复数 )；服务机构；（政府的）专门机构；代理（或经销）业务（或关系）

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations. 联合国有许多专门机构。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The project is funded by the World Bank and other multilateral agencies. 这项计划由世界银行和其他多国机构资助。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 housing   

n.房屋，住宅；住房建筑；外壳，外罩

参考例句：

• Do you think our housing sales will turn around during this year?你认为今年我们的住宅销路会好转吗？
• The housing sales have been turning down since the summer.入夏以来，房屋的销售量日趋减少。

9 boroughs   

（尤指大伦敦的）行政区( borough的名词复数 )； 议会中有代表的市镇

参考例句：

• London is made up of 32 boroughs. 伦敦由三十二个行政区组成。
• Brooklyn is one of the five boroughs of New York City. 布鲁克林区是纽约市的五个行政区之一。

10 alike   

adj.同样的，相像的；adv.一样地；同程度地　

参考例句：

• The twins are so alike that I can't tell which is which.这对双胞胎一模一样，我分辨不出谁是谁。
• All stories seemed dreadfully alike,no matter who told them.看来，不管谁讲，故事都是千篇一律的。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

13 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

14 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

15 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

16 coping   

顶部，顶盖，墙的顶部

参考例句：

• I got to the stage where I wasn't coping any more. 到了这个阶段，我已经无法应付了。
• They have done remarkably well in coping with natural calamities. 他们在战胜自然灾害方面做得极为出色。

17 boom   

n.隆隆声；vt.发隆隆声

参考例句：

• The country is having a great boom in industry.这个国家的工业正蓬勃发展。
• Boom!Boom!Boom!A series of explosions shook the valley.轰！轰！轰！一连串爆破声震撼山谷。

18 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。