Adaptations to Traditional Familial Roles: Examining the Challenges of Grandmothers' Counterlife Transitions

Grandmothers-raising-grandchildren narratives challenge normative familial preconceptions. Utilizing the life-course theory to examine the turbulence and time-disordered role orientations, this study showcases the familial development punctuated by transitions and highlights the transformations expe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of Intergenerational relationships Vol. 15; no. 2; pp. 104 - 124
Main Authors LeFebvre, Leah E., Rasner, Ryan D.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 03.04.2017
Subjects
Grandchild
grandmother
life-course theory
nonnormative transitions
time-disordered roles
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Summary:Grandmothers-raising-grandchildren narratives challenge normative familial preconceptions. Utilizing the life-course theory to examine the turbulence and time-disordered role orientations, this study showcases the familial development punctuated by transitions and highlights the transformations experienced in grandparent relationships. This qualitative phenomenological study investigates six grandmothers' experiences about their unforeseen life circumstances and their renegotiation of normal age-appropriate transitions that cause them to reconstruct their life plans. Five themes (obligation, desperation, intervention, salvation, and normalization) emerged from their experiences that underscore the transformative generational structures and explore adaptive life-course trajectories.
ISSN:1535-0770
1535-0932
DOI:10.1080/15350770.2017.1294010