According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over the last 25 years, the number of children being raised by someone other than a parent has increased dramatically, with the vast majority of these children being raised by their grandparents. Between 1990 and 1998, the number of families in grandparent-headed households without either parent present increased by 53 percent, and the 2000 Census placed the total number of children living in a grandparent- or other relative-headed household at 6 million. — From “Grandparents as Parents” on adoption.com
A short history of how my nuclear family became a kinship family:
- My parents got married in 1985, my dad had one son, Mason*, from a previous marriage
- Mom and Dad had my older sister, Jenna, on December 3 of that same year
- Exactly four years and four days later, I was born on December 7, 1989
- On December 10, 2004, my half-brother and his girlfriend Daisy* gave birth to my oldest nephew, Jesse
- On May 15, 2007, Mason and Daisy had their second son, Hunter
- On August 8, 2009, their third son, and my third nephew, Matthew was born
- On December 12, 2009, my parents got a phone call from Child Protective Services alerting them that with Mason incarcerated and Daisy in the hospital recovering from an overdose on opiates, the boys needed immediate placement in a safe home.
- On December 13, 2009, Jesse (5), Hunter (2.5) and Matty (4 months) moved in to my parents house with nothing but the clothes on their back.
- On April 18, 2012, the boys are still living with my parents who are in the process of formally adopting them. Mason is still in contact with my dad, but not his children, and Daisy is completely out of contact with the family.
*names have been changed
Now, this is my family:
L/R: My Sister (Auntie Jenna) with her dog Hugo, Jesse (7), My Dad (Grandpa), Matty (2), My Mom (Grandma), Hunter (4), and Me (Auntie Kacie) with my parents dog, Stellaluna – Photo Taken in July 2011
I had no idea what a kinship family was until I was a part of one. I was shocked when I first learned that over 35,000 people in Washington State are raising a relative’s child. I remember having one friend growing up who lived with her aunt, but statistics say that 5.7% of children in Washington State are raised by their relatives.
This is not something that my family is going through alone, and that is why I started this blog. I want to raise awareness to this common family structure as well as provide a community for other unique families – whether they be a kinship or not – to feel NORMAL.
The goal with this blog is not to gush about the adorable things that my nephews do (although I’m sure that will come up every Wednesday), but to provide an honest, thorough picture of the ups and downs of my family life. I hope you can relate, because no family is 100% normal, or perfect.
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