89 and 86-year-old grandparents are fighting to raise their 5-year-old grandson.

Hi Feona1962, no, I definitely feel for the granparents in this drama, and even more so for this little boy. he needs the love of his grandparents as much as he needs an adequate care for his needs, and if they are willing to provide for him, and give him the love and care he needs, their age shouldn't be taken into consideration I think. Some times the burocratical norms are just a joke. And lets hope for the sake of this boy that he will be given into their custodity.

Actually, this case sounds way too familiar to me. My great-grandparents wanted custody of me when I was a child. It didn't ever go to court, but they were told they would never win custody because of their age. Instead, I was actually left in the custody of family members who abused me, even though several times my situation was investigated. I do understand that it's likely one or both of the grandparents won't live to actually finish raising the child, but I think that if it is a loving and safe home for him, it is where he should be. It's sad that he's being kept from people who love him just because of their age.

How I hate these welfare officials and social workers. I find them not only meddlesome but too officious for our own good. Their true intentions and their hearts are not at the same place. In this case, if they wanted to help, they could have done so by offering as much support as they could to the grandparents instead of giving them unsolicited advice on how to bring up their grandchild. Help could have been offered in many ways other that saying that just because they are ‘old’ the child is having developmental problems with them. I mean how crude and unsympathetic can people be! Many children suffer from developmental problems due to a host of unspecified reasons. How could the lawyer pin the blame on the grandparents’ age? Has the world come to such cold & clinical precision that instead of supporting the undying spirit of the old couple, they are analyzing the pros and cons of the situation. Then think of the child…as it is he is doomed in life (coz of the parents), at least he is getting one last chance to be with someone his own. Also at a time when biological parents are dumping kids for their own petty enjoyment, such grandparents need all our respect and admiration. Yes they are old, all the more reason why they need our help more than our analysis and snatching their grandchild away from them is not helping them, it is killing them indirectly.

No, I do not believe they are too old. I think the grandparents should be able to raise their grandson, like they have been for the past 6 years! Foster care is no fun for a child, especially one of his age. It isn't a matter of age that welfare should be looking at, it's health. If the boys grandparents are healthy and have the ability to care for him then they should get him, end of question.

if the grandparents have other family members that are constant in the boys life, and would take the boy when they could not look after him anymore then i would say sure why not, but if it is only the grandparents then i would say no, put him into foster care. as a person who has been in many foster homes, the boy has more of a chance finding a good home now at the age of 5, rather than later.

I would not do that to a child. I was taken away from my dad when I was little, because my mom said he wasn't a good parent. He ended up getting killed a few months later in a car crash. I wish that I could have him now, cause I know that he would love to see what kind of daughter he had. So as long as the grandparents can take care of him, let him be with the ones that love him.

I live in Northeastern PA. In a small county of Schuylkill. Here C & Y would hand the child over, but I think the grandparents aren't prepared ( lack of a better word ) to raise a younster. What would happen to the boy if he was brought into the home, thinking he was safe and they die. Die, one right after the other. Why not with someone close by so the grandparents can be involved with his life.

What this child needs is to be in a household with people who love him and have his best interests at heart. Even though his grandparents are elderly they should be given a chance to raise him. The money spent on keeping him in foster care (where he is in a home that is not with people who truly love him)could be used to help the grandparents with the needs of the child. The hiring of a nanny would be a great idea. Why couldn't the state do this rather than sending him off to a foster home?

Some people age slower than others. If the grandparents have taken care of the little boy, do not put him in foster care. I come from a long lived family and my husband comes from a family where there are long lived members as well. Neither of us look our age, the only difference is that we went white prematurely. But I look at least ten to twenty years younger. So the social worker is assuming that the grandparents are the old foogies who had arthritis and used those walkers. If the boy has developmental problems, his grandparents will have more patience with him than a younger couple. Let them raise him and the social service can send in a physical therapy nurse to come in once a week or so.

I think it woild be in the best interest of the child to stay in a safe and stable environment with two people who love him. I'm sure arrangements could be made to assist them if necessary. It seems unfair to discriminate based on age. Yes, they are quite old by anyone's standards but that doesn't automatically mean they are unfit to care for him. If age is the only factor being considered, that boy needs a new advocate.

If they have been doing ok with him, I don't see a problem. Can they actually say that the developmental delays were caused by the grandparents? Probably not, but who knows. So many children of families that do the wrong kind of things when they are pregnant do have developmental delays. I think that the child deserves to have a stable environment and if the grandparents have been providing this and they are willing to continue giving him a home and raising him, then I don't see what the problem is. But, I know the system has to have their standards and they will probably go by their rules, sometimes it is a sad fact.

Your right, its not fair. If they have so far, for 5 years provided him with a stable and loving home then he should be allowed to live with his grandparents. Him bouncing from foster home to foster home will only make matters worse. This can do more harm to the child. The parents should sign over custody if they cannot care for the child.

I think the age shouldn't matter but I do think that they need to take in consideration the fact that they wont live forever. If they are to raise this boy than they need to plan for his future. I thought that the system always wanted to place children with families? That is a sad situation. For both the child and his grandparents.

hey there feona,i feel that age shouldnt matter its the love they have for the child,and if they raised him since he was young then they have every right to be able to adopt this child,people sometimes feel that just because someone is old that they are not capable to do certain things,and to me sometimes the older people have more knowlege and love than some of those younger ones out there.hugs.pattie