Abstract
This exploratory study illustrates the challenges grandparents face as they take on the role of parenting for the second time. The study examines grandparents of "skipped generation households" in terms of their overall personal health and perceptions as well as the psychological and behavior issues they face with their grandchildren. Themes from the study's ten respondents indicated that they struggle with these elements: custodial matters, financial obligations, facing their adult child's inability to parent, academic and behavioral challenges for their grandchildren, maintaining social support and planning for a continuum of care for grandchildren should they not be able to continue to parent them. Noteworthy was the deep conviction that the interviewees expressed that they had done the right thing in stepping in for their own adult children to provide love and support for their grandchildren.