ABSTRACT
Although every family is different and every grandparent has different issues, there are certain themes and questions that recur frequently. This chapter explores these common concerns, common because they appear in many families and because one shares them with their grandchild's parents. The conventional wisdom is that this development was a direct result of the women's liberation movement. Although there is some truth to this view, the reality is a great deal more complicated. This trend actually preceded the women's movement. As women have entered the workforce in growing numbers, their household responsibilities have declined only in part. Single mothers, of course, are required both to support their children and to maintain their households. But even after years of prodding, the number of husbands who share equally in household duties is still comparatively small. As the earlier Leigh Hunt quotation indicates, grandparents have probably been second-guessing their children as long as there have been grandparents.
