Composing a Further Life

society.
    “For those who have grandchildren or other ties to young children, even if we don’t see them as often as we would like, the future that calls forth our energy and commitment to defend it comes readily to mind: it is the world that the children of today will live in when we are gone. Every grandchild is an argument for a better future, a light shining into the unknown—may it shine on promises fulfilled.”
    Geraldine Ferraro, who was vice presidential candidate in 1984 and the first major-party woman candidate for national office, spoke next, zeroing in on promises made in the past and pointing out that many had not been fulfilled. “We Grannies—both women and men—no longer are worrying about the children we made those promises to,” she said. “They are old enough to worry about themselves … But we do worry about their children, our grandchildren, and what the future holds for them. There is no doubt that what is lacking in government is long-term planning. That’s because most elected officials think in two-, four-, or six-year terms, depending on when they’re running for reelection. We want that to change.… And from my experience, I know that our government is capable of making long-term, sometimes costly decisions. In the early eighties, when I was in the Congress and a member of the Select Committee on Aging, our country was faced with the probability that the Social Security system would run out of money before the end of the century. At that time, Congressman Claude Pepper of Florida and the National Commission on Social Security worked on legislation that would preserve the system to the year 2040. The legislation passed, partly because it was the right thing to do, partly because no legislator wanted seniors angry at him or her on Election Day. That may be precisely why many public officials seem to ignore the long-term needs of children—because children can’t vote. At least until now. This year we are changing that. On Election Day, we are giving our votes to our grandchildren, and we ask every grandparent in America to do the same thing.”
    Ruth spoke next, emphasizing the contribution of grandparents to child care. “Census data tells us that 4.5 million children are living in grandparent-headed households (that is 6.3 percent of all U.S. children), a 30 percent increase of such households between 1990 and 2000. Whether the biological parents are not available because of military obligations, death, incarceration, substance abuse, these children don’t come to visit Grandma and Grandpa—they are home. And the grandparents, especially grandmas, are rereading [T. Berry] Brazelton, arranging for teachers’ conferences, doctors’ visits, playdates, and music lessons.
    “Even more dramatic and prevalent is grandparent-provided child care. According to the national survey of families and households, close to one half of all grandparents—that would be 45 million of us—provide routine, day-to-day child care to our grandchildren during their parents’ work hours. And while there are more grandmothers who are the full- or part-time preferred child-care provider, a third of grandfathers with young children living nearby provide child care as well. Fifty-four percent—more than half—of employed grandparents with young grandchildren (under five) living nearby provide child care.… So, grandparents are vital to our economy. They are needed to support their adult children’s part-time and shift work arrangements. And, they are the reliable supporters to help parents enjoy leisure and social activities during nonwork time.… But you know, as one of my work colleagues, who is the frequent weekend babysitter for her two little granddaughters, says with delight, ‘They are so much fun—I have such a good time.’ …
    “That is why, because of the tremendous investments grandparents are making and will continue to make day in and day out for their children and grandchildren, we are resolved to continue to press those who want our votes to discuss their plans for the nation in the future tense—twenty years into the future—in order for us to cast responsible votes for our grandchildren.”
    Already in 2004, Ruth was making plans to retire from Casey in 2005, and when I visited her in 2006, she was in the first stage of her retirement. “If I were to be totally honest with myself, it was probably three years ago when I started to turn over in my mind that ‘I am going