I am new and really don't know if I am doing this right and in the right place. my grandson was 17 when he got in trouble, complicity/aggravated robbery. He went to court Jan. 21 , 2005 and was sentenced to 20 yrs!!!!!!! never in any trouble, first offense, and did not enter building, the adult at the time had the gun. this is in ohio courts, filed appeal, it is just beginning. meanwhile, i am raising his 1 yr. old baby girl. i'm her great-grandma
I am so glad i found this site, i've looked thru different forums and see so much understanding, caring and wisdom. good luck to all and your families. M>G>B>:new:

Welcome to PTO!! So glad to have you here.

Welcome to PTO and the extended family forum. Please feel free to PM me of I can help you in any way. I see you just up the road from me.

Welcome to the PTO Family! Glad you joined us.

You'll find lots of friendship and support here. Bless you for taking on the resonsbility of raisng your great grandchild. I KNOW it must not be easy.

mrsd

I don't know if this will post, this board is having trouble today. I just wanted to
say I understand how difficult it is raising a grandchild. You are not alone. This is a wonderful website but there are other sites dedicated to your specific problems. They are ran by grandparents who are now raising grandchildren for a variety of reasons. You may also want to visit them as well as this one.

http://www.kinsupport.org/
http://grandsplace.org

Please feel free to send me a private message if you want my email address. We are not allowed to post them in these messages that everybody can read. I am a grandmother too.

Thanks Everyone, I Really Enjoy Getting On Here When Everyone Is Asleep. Peace And Quiet,yet Reading The Information On Here.
Thanks Demi For The Links, Got Them Saved In My Favorites, Right Along With This Site. M.g.b.

I too am raising baby grandson i yr old my daughter is in gatesville hilltop unit texas she got 3yrs for aggrivated assault the woman was actually following her trying to hurt her she was pregnant at the time the 2 hear me 2 women never showed up for the court hearing my daughters witness never was heard the criminal justice that's a laugh a minute system is garbage I noticed you mentioned appeal is that costly? I will be praying for you. I have needed to talk to somebody so bad this has had her in for a year already at first she was given probation and when she violated it she was sentenced to do her threeyears. She waswriting me every day I havn't heard anything for a month. I am becomming a basket case.I put on at least twenty pounds. talking helps.

HI,I just joined the PTO, and am also a grand mother,my grandson is in Hondo, Torres Unit.and like a lot of other grandmoms,I mostly raised him,while his parents are divorcing and marrying other people, and the kids get ignored,all these young people all they need is LOVE and ATTENTION from their parents.Thats the main reason a lot of teens end up incarcerated, This is a wonderfulsite,I'm so glad to have found it. mbrht

seansgram For me it was a blessing to be raised by grandparents. It's not an easy job but I can tell you this, I was a very very lucky child to have them as my parents. I just want to say thank you for taking your great grand in. Good luck and welcom

mbrht thank you for raising your grandchild. I received that love and attention that you speak of. Welcom to to PTO.

mbrht, my grandson, who I raised, is also at the Torres Unit in Hondo. Have you heard anything about the lockdown?

HI Seansgram,I also am raising a grandson whom is 4 years old.It is a task but you know what,I have had him 2 years now and he is the joy of all my days of being tired and feel like I just need to collaspe.He keeps me going so hang in their The kids keep us forever young,Always willing to talk and help in anyway just feel free to look me up anytime,God Bless you

About Hondo's Lockdown all Iheard was that it was for 6 months, isnt that excessive? If you hear any more please let me know Jojacks , mbrht

HI, Jojacks all I heard about Hondo's lockdown was that it was for 6 months, isnt' that excessive? mbrht

I am new! I have a very dear loved nephew at Ferguson Unit in Huntsville. What I need to know is: how do I send him postage stamps?
Thanks

My cousin got booked in the county jail on 7/12, so I'm betting she's headed back to prison after only 3 months out. She's back on a parole violation. I guess 8 months in prison didn't work for her. Better luck to her in the future. I'll probably write to her this time around.

Man, 6 months???? I have not heard that. I got a letter from Dustin yesterday and he didn't mention it. I am going to see him next weekend, so maybe I will find out something. Have you heard a reason for this? I heard, just heard, that they had no visitation this weekend. Did you hear anything?

Hello everyone! I am a 37 year old female who will, in about a month, be going to a Federal Prison Camp for 18 months. I live in Pennsylvania, so I assume I will eventually land at Alderson in West Virginia or Danbury in Connecticut. Here is my dilemma:

I am married and have a 4-year old daughter. A year ago I was indicted for my crime (not drugs, but embezzlement) and my husband promptly lost his good job because his employer caught wind of it. My husband was not at all guilty of this crime and, in fact, was not even aware that I was stealing from my employer. He was absolutely horrified when he found out, as most spouses would natually be. We have decided to stay together, but it has been rocky!

He was out of a job for 7 whole months, could not find anything making more than he was earning on unemployment. Which, by the way, he or I had never collected before!!! Never even thought of it. We are both college educated people and also good parents. He finally found something in his field (IT) in Manhattan, making really good money. He currently lives with his cousin during the week and pays her a small amount of rent and comes home to my daughter and I every weekend to the townhouse we rent in suburban Philadelphia. He really enjoys his job and is just thankful to have one really, as am I.

I also work as an administrative assistant and my parents watch my daughter when she is not in pre-school.

Since my sentencing in the beginning of August, the whole extended family has agreed that our daughter would live with my sister, her husband and their three kids during the week and my husband would come back to PA on the weekends and be with her. Not a great solution, but the best one offered, and also the best maybe for our daughter.

Now, it seems, my sister and revoked her offer. She & I have never gotten along, and in learning of my crime certainly not helped. She and her husband are very wealthy and big church-goers. They do not understand how I could have done something like this or why I cannot be more like them through therapy, etc. But the truth is, I know they are good people, but I DON'T like them. They are social-climbers and live a very "big" life. Something I am not. I have always had extremely low self-esteem (which is why I find myself in this situation to begin with I think) and want to obviously be more of a mentally healthy person, but just not like them.

The responsibilty of caregiver during the week has now fallen on my 70 year old parents shoulders. I am just not sure they can swing it for that long. Their health isn't the greatest and they love my daughter, but the thought of taking her for that long must be scary to them.

I do not know what to do at this point. My husband cannot find work in this area making any type of decent money, so he is forced to work in NYC. Even if he DID have a job closer to help out during the week, his sort of job requires him to be there a good amount of time. He would never be able to leave every day at 5:00pm to pick up our daughter at daycare. Sure, some days, but not 5 days a week. He could get a job making less, but he honestly makes only enough to support he and our daughter as it is now.

Are there any type of support groups for elderly grandparents of small children as caregiver's. My poor parents cannot take on this responsibility without any help.

We just don't know what to do. Not to mention, who knows if my husband will really wait the 18 months for me like he claims.That is a long time and he is going to be very lonely.

Maybe my problems don't seem all that bad, but they seem that way to me. In the end, my main concern is the welfare of my daughter and her happiness while I am away.

Thanks for listnening

Welcome to PTO and the Extended Family forum. Please feel free to vent and feel comfortable doing so here. PM me if you have anything I might be able to help you with.

I am new and really don't know if I am doing this right and in the right place. my grandson was 17 when he got in trouble, complicity/aggravated robbery. He went to court Jan. 21 , 2005 and was sentenced to 20 yrs!!!!!!! never in any trouble, first offense, and did not enter building, the adult at the time had the gun. this is in ohio courts, filed appeal, it is just beginning. meanwhile, i am raising his 1 yr. old baby girl. i'm her great-grandma
I am so glad i found this site, i've looked thru different forums and see so much understanding, caring and wisdom. good luck to all and your families. M>G>B>:new:

my daughter is in the same situation. Thank God the baby has you and not in some foster home. You will be rewarded in Heaven.

I was wondering if it is financially difficult to support your grandchildren? I'm asking this because I do know someone who is taking care of a grandchild, and she is seriously stuggling financially to support herself AND her grandchildren. It's not an easy thing, and I commend all of you for it.

Yes it is financially difficult to support your other grandchildren as you get no help from the other parents, or usually other grandparents, Not only does it cost to feed them, clothes, but also there Dr bills, or med. Unless you can get them in a state All kids Ins program. Then you have more electricty to pay, extra clothes to wash, water bill, because more baths. So it is expensive, But you find a way to do it as they are your precious Grandchildren and God makes a way for us to all take care of the little children who need someone stable in there lives. If there in school there is a added expensive also. But God see us thru.

All of the above and more! You also have the added responsibility of helping the child and their parent keep their relationship alive by visiting him, writing, phone calls, etc. Keeping the parent updated on every aspect of the child's life. Lots of phone calls back and forth, mail back and forth, especially if you live too far away to visit him on a regular basis. You have to deal with his hurt feelings if the child doesn't want to talk, having to explain things you have done or not done, why the child was told this instead of that, etc. It is not the same as raising your children although by now she is more daughter than granddaughter. There are just a zillion different little things.