Opieka dziadków nad wnukami - nienormatywne wydarzenie życiowe w narracjach biograficznych
Grandparents' care for grandchildren - a non-normative life event in biographical narratives

Summary/Abstract: Objective: The article presents selected findings from a study that sought answers to the following research questions: What meaning do grandparents attribute to their biographical experiences related to assuming formal care of their grandchildren? Do the grandparents' narratives reveal that taking over the care of their grandchildren exhibits the characteristics of a non-normative life event? Methods: The research results presented in this article are part of a larger research project conducted between 2020 and 2024 in families in which grandparents have become the primary caregivers of their grandchildren. The research method used biography and semi-structured thematic biographical interviews. This work was based on 15 interviews with grandparents (aged 60 and over) living in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Results and conclusions: Grandparents' narratives indicate that assuming care for one's grandchildren is, above all, a life change that is experienced differently depending on many factors. Parenthood should be considered a non-normative (critical) life event, as it has its own temporal and spatial framework, is new, unexpected, and sudden, and involves the loss of cherished values. Furthermore, it triggers a variety of emotional states and has profound and lasting consequences for the future course of life for older adults.

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