In Montana, about 4.1 percent of children under age 18 live in households headed by their grandparents, and another 1 percent live with other relatives. Nationally, the percentage of kids living with their grandparents rose from 3 percent in 1970 to 5.5 percent in 1997, according to the U.S. Census.

Doug Anderson of the Montana Department of Health and Human Services Department's Child and Family Services division says that methamphetamine is the main reason why more kids are being separated from their parents. "[Grandparents] see the gradual deterioration of their own children," he said. "At some point they can't take it anymore and go and get the grandchildren. We don't have a lot of physical abuse cases. Seventy percent or higher is just neglect."

Experts see grandparents as a preferable alternative to placing kids in foster homes, because they provide children with a sense of family history and a reminder of good times before their parents got addicted.

In most cases, it is kids and grandparents, not public agencies, who take the lead in shifting parental responsibility. "For every one we see, there must be three or four more we never see," Anderson said. Many grandparents even reject offers of public assistance in raising their grandchildren. "They prefer it that way, and we do, too," said Andersen. "We like to see families solve their problems themselves."

As the trend continues, the concept of grandparents raising their children's children has become more accepted. However, some experts say grandparents need more help in dealing with adolescents who may be suffering emotional problems; also, in many cases there are financial hardships on retirees who have been thrust back into the role of parents.

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