County

Celebrating the impact of Colorado grandfathers

RBC I Whether a grandparent is offering temporary child care or has custody of their grandchildren because of extenuating circumstances, today’s grandparents are increasingly more involved in raising young children. In honor of National Grandparents Day on Sunday, Sept. 11, the Colorado Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Initiative commends Colo. grandfathers for the role they play in the lives of their grandchildren and offers some resources for them to utilize along the way.
According to a 2007 report from the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 2.5 million grandparents have responsibility for the basic needs of one or more of their grandchildren. These grandparents represent about 40 percent of all grandparents whose grandchildren live with them. Nationwide, 6.2 million grandchildren under the age of 18 live with their grandparents.
 “For the thousands of grandfathers acting as dads in our state it is important to find ways to relate to their grandchildren,” said Dan Welch, fatherhood and family specialist with the Colorado Department of Human Services. “Serving as a role model and developing a true father/child relationship takes hard work and dedication on behalf of the grandfather. We want to recognize the impact these types of paternal relationships have on our children’s lives and provide grandfathers with the tools necessary to become successful parents.”
If you are a grandfather in a caregiving role you have made numerous sacrifices to provide a better life for your grandchildren. The following are tips from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Child Welfare Information Gateway that will help grandfathers provide the best possible care for their grandchildren while still preserving their own health and well being. Find these and other valuable resources for raising grandchildren at www.coloradodads.com.
Making the adjustment
Often, grandparents take on the responsibility of raising their grandchildren under stressful and unfortunate situations. Thus, you may have the added burden of caring for children who suffered abuse or neglect earlier in their lives. These children may feel insecure and afraid; they may be angry at their situation and even embarrassed by it. It will take time for them to feel safe and secure. You can encourage these good feelings and ease their adjustment to their new home in a number of ways.
• Set up a daily routine of mealtimes, bedtime and other activities so that the children have some predictability in their lives.
• Help your grandchildren to feel that they are “home” by making room for them and their belongings. Your home needs to be welcoming, safe and child-friendly.
• Work on communication skills. Talk to your grandchildren and make sure that the children know they can always talk to you.
• Practice positive discipline that emphasizes education, not punishment, and that rewards good behavior with praise.
• Set up a few rules and explain the rules to the children. Then, enforce them consistently.
• Find shared activities. Building new relationships can be difficult. Sometimes, it helps to find things that you can do with your grandchildren to nurture your relationship and to make them feel secure and happy in their new home.
• Read. Children love to hear stories and even older children may surprise you by sitting quietly as you read aloud.
• Get computer savvy. If you don’t have your own computer, use the one at the public library. The library may have classes or other free help for you. You’ll find lots of things that you and your grandchildren can do together on the computer, from games to school research.
• Join a group. There are many local support groups for grandparents raising grandchildren and a number of these groups also provide activities for children. You might also find welcoming groups at your place of worship or at local schools or the library.
• Take up a sport or other outdoor activity. Children of all ages need to be active. Physical activity will help your grandchildren develop a healthy lifestyle and can be an important stress reliever for you.
Remember to take care of yourself. Parenting can leave you feeling stressed, overwhelmed and unhappy. As a result you are not going to be able to provide the best care for your grandchildren. It’s important that you take care of yourself to not become overwhelmed by your parental responsibilities. Some suggestions are to:
• Find a support group—either a group specifically for grandparents raising grandchildren or some other support group where you can share your challenges with others who will understand.
• Talk to someone. This could be a friend or relative or a professional, such as a counselor, family doctor or someone at your church or temple. Unburdening yourself can be a stress reliever.
• Take a break. A short time away from your grandchildren may give you some time to relax. Look for a trusted adult who can babysit or take over while you’re out.
• Participate in a fatherhood/parenting class. A class may help you feel more comfortable with your status as a caregiver for young children. It will also provide resources in the form of your instructor and the other students in the class.
• Learn to say “no.” You don’t have time to do everything. Learn to prioritize and eliminate the unnecessary tasks in your life.

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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