Hi nurse343,

I applaud you and your husband for stepping up for your grandson. Not all of us grandparents are in a position to be able to raise our grandchildren (that would be me and it breaks my heart!).

It stands to reason that you are worried about relinquishing custody of grandson back to his father. You have both bonded and have a strong connection which will definitely be a factor in how grandson handles any transition.

But, after saying that, there are some safeguards that you may be able to put into place. You have every right to ask your son and his wife to go through parenting classes. You also can insist on you, your son and grandson see a therapist who has worked on reunification of families with other folks.

There is a process that each of you will have to filter through so that reunification can be successful. I'm sure you want the absolute best for your grandchild and at the same time, I'm sure you love your son as well. It's hard to find a balance between them and also working on letting go of the role you've had in your grandson's life to present. This doesn't mean that as his grandmother you wouldn't have a very important role in his life, there will always be that connection.

I don't envy you your situation. I do hope you are able to find support through DHS as well. I would think that they would want to make sure that son is up to the task of being a father to your grandson.

I wish you well!