The New American Grandparent: A Place in the Family, A Life Apart

289 Pages·1992·11.32 MB·English

by  Andrew Cherlin

The New American Grandparent

THE NEW
AMERICAN
GRANDPARENT
A Place in the Family,
Life
A Apart
Andrew J. Cherlin
Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr.
Harvard University Press
Cambridge, Massachusetts
London, England
1992
Copyright©1986byBasicBooks, Inc.
Allrightsreserved
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FirstHarvardUniversityPresspaperbackedition, 1992
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Cherlin,AndrewJ., 1948-
ThenewAmericangrandparent:aplaceinthefamily, alifeapart
AndrewJ. Cherlin,FrankF. Furstenberg,Jr.
p. cm.
Originallypublished:NewYork:BasicBooks, ©1986.
Includesindex.
ISBN0-674-60838-0
1.Grandparents-UnitedStates. 2. Grandparentandchild-United
States. I. Furstenberg,FrankF., 1940- II.Title.
[HQ759.9.C44 1992] 92-13833
306.874'5-dc20 CIP
ToThe Memory ofOur Grandparents

CONTENTS
ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
1
Introduction 3
2
The Modernization of Grandparenthood 24
3
Styles of Grandparenting 52
4
Grandparental Careers 82
5
Variations 106
6
A Special Case: Grandparents and Divorce 136
7
The Influence of Grandparents on
Grandchildren 165
vii
Contents
8
The Future of Grandparenthood 185
APPENDICES 209
NOTES 258
INDEX 268
viii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ThisstudywassupportedbygrantnumberAG02753 from the
National Institute on Aging (NIA). The funds from NIA al
lowed us to conduct telephone interviews with 510 grandpar
entsthroughoutthecountrywhosechildrenandgrandchildren
had been interviewed during an earlier study. We also were
able to conduct follow-up interviews in the homes ofsome of
thegrandparentsinoursample. Theoriginalfocusofthestudy
was on the effects of divorce on grandparent-grandchild rela
tions, anemphasis thatis-apparentin chapter6andelsewhere'
throughoutthebook. Butduringthecourseofourresearch, we
broadened the topic to include a more general examination of
the role ofgrandparents in the contemporaryfamily. Needless
to say, we greatly appreciate the support of NIA, Dr. Matilda
White Riley, Associate Director for Behavioral Sciences Re
search, and the projectofficer, Ms. Kathleen Bond.
We also benefited from the assistance and suggestions of
manyprofessionalcolleagues. NicholasZillandJamesPeterson
of Child Trends, Inc., graciously provided access to the Na
tional Survey of Children, ontowhich ourgrandparentsurvey
was grafted. They also provided valuable advice throughout
theproject. EllinSpectoroftheInstituteforSurveyResearchat
Temple University was a fund of information and enthusiasm
as she directed the field work for the survey. We presented an
earlier version of the material in chapter 6 at the Wingspread
Conference on Grandparenting and Family Connections,
sponsored by the National Institute for the Family and the
WilliamPetschekNationalJewish FamilyCenteroftheAmeri-
ix