Autumn, 18 months, and her grandmother, Nancy, attended the Amador HRC Child Care Resources workshop for grandparents Thursday afternoon at the Health and Human Services Building in Sutter Creek. Nancy has guardianship of Autumn and her two siblings, ages 3 and 5. Photo by: Bethany A. Monk

She wears a soft white shawl draped over a long midnight-hued dress and a floppy old hat with a bright red feather. She gingerly walks to the park using a cane, sits on a bench shaded by oak trees and watches the children play. She loves the sound of their laughter. It helps her feel less alone.

In this story, "The Worry Stone," a children's book by Marianna Dengler, an elderly woman befriends a child she meets in the park. He is sad. The other kids won't play with him. The woman gives him a "worry stone" to help assuage his sorrows. He asks her to tell him the story behind the stone and the two become friends - two generations converge, each bringing something special to the other.

Bridging generational gaps is nothing new, and outside the pages of this story, which highlights the importance of such relationships, millions of grandparents or grandparent-aged Americans are stepping up to the plate to do so; many, in fact, are raising their grandchildren full-time. Several others provide part-time care. Generational differences, and several other factors, though, can put a heavy strain on those raising their children's children.

In hopes to reach out to a group often left in the dark, the Amador HRC Child Care Resources held two interactive Workshops for Grandparents this month. On Thursday, the second session had more than 10 Amador grandmothers and grandfathers attend the two-hour event at the Health and Human Services Building outside Sutter Creek. Some had full custody of their grandchildren, while others are part-time caregivers for their grandchildren.

The sessions - the first was on Sept. 9 - are open to anyone who would like to attend, said Erika Simmons, Amador HRC child care incentive program coordinator/ LEP. Simmons, who coordinated the event, told the Ledger Dispatch that both sessions went pretty well. "I was pleasantly surprised," she said. "There's obviously a need for grandparents (in the area) to get the support they need."

One of her goals, Simmons added, is to have a monthly meeting for grandparents where they can get information and network. These would be open to everyone, she said. "It helps simply to know that you're not the only one."

Nationwide, 6.1 million grandparents whose grandchildren are younger than 18 live with them, according to data from the 2006 U.S. Census Bureau; 40 percent of these grandparents, about 2.5 million people, are responsible for most of the basic needs for one or more of the grandchildren who live with them.

During Thursday's session, Simmons provided an overview of Amador HRC resources for participants and welcomed guest speakers, Gretchen Heiss from the county's Foster Care Education and Holly Rockett from the Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency. For more information, call Heiss at 770-0663 or Rocket at 223-1485.

Mostly though, the workshop let grandparents ask questions, voice their concerns and provide support for each other.

"I thought we were all alone," said workshop attendee Nancy, who has guardianship of three grandchildren ages 18 months, 3 and 5. She asked that her last name not be used.

Some concerns shared by grandparents included: Financial issues, mobility challenges, and problems receiving help for their respective situations.

Nancy called the workshop "wonderful," and said that there really isn't that much information out there for grandparents in her situation. It would be beneficial, she said, for Amador County to have a resource person solely responsible for guiding grandparents through the process of becoming a caregiver for their grandchildren.

For more information, referrals and upcoming events related to grandparents raising or caring for grandchildren, call the Amador HRC Childcare Resource at 223-1624. For tips and resources for grandparents, visit http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Grandparents.shtml.