Surrogate grandmother becomes part of California family

How online transportation created household bonds

Family finds surrogate grandma done Facebook group 05:37

Some of the astir influential relationships successful beingness are those betwixt grandparents and grandchildren. Nearly 70 cardinal radical successful the U.S. are grandparents and astir 70 percent of Americans accidental those bonds are important, according to YouGov.

But distance, engaged schedules, strained relationships, and adults choosing not to person children person near galore families without them. Increasingly, immoderate are turning to unconventional solutions.

Anteres Anderson Turner and Louis Turner, who are raising duplicate boys — Cayden and Cameron — successful Southern California, realized 2 years agone that thing was missing from their family.

"We were talking astir the village, the colony that, you know, we had increasing up, the grandparents would similar travel and similar bent retired oregon conscionable impart their wisdom," said Anderson Turner.

Cayden and Cameron's paternal grandparents unrecorded crossed the country. Anderson Turner's begetter died during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her parent is not actively involved.

"I was like, 'My God, I privation determination was similar a mode to conscionable similar follow somebody,'" she said. "I'm like, tin you conscionable spell trolling, similar nursing homes and say, 'Hey, like, does anybody request similar a grandchild?'"

Instead, the household searched online and recovered Surrogate Grandparents USA, a Facebook radical with astir 12,000 members.

Less than 100 miles north, Janet Firestein Daw was looking for the aforesaid happening — grandchildren. When she heard astir the Facebook group, she instantly saw its potential. 

"I thought it was great. I thought it was astonishing due to the fact that it was going to capable a request that I really have," Firestein Daw said.

Firestein Daw has 5 kids, but she says they made it "pretty clear" that they weren't readying to springiness her grandchildren.

"I was getting older and I wanted to get down connected the level and play Legos and trains and work books," she explained.

While scrolling done the Surrogate Grandparents USA Facebook page, Firestein Daw came crossed the Turner family's photo. She reached retired to the household to spot if they'd beryllium funny successful talking. Firestein Daw says they "connected immediately," and planned their archetypal gathering astatine a nationalist park.

"The infinitesimal that [the kids] met her, they gave her a large hug and it was like, okay," Anderson Turner said. 

That was 2 years ago. Today, Firestein Daw, affectionately called "Nana J," is afloat portion of the Turner family.

When asked astir their favourite things astir Nana J, the boys said they bask however she plays with them, makes unreal movies, has fun, and treats them with kindness.

Anderson Turner said the narration has been a relief. 

"It's been like, oh, hold has been lifted disconnected my shoulders. She's been connected trips with us, we've celebrated Hanukkah, she's gone to the room with us, truthful galore things that I desperately wanted for my kids and we get that with Janet," said Anderson Turner.

Firestein Daw said the boys filled a lifelong void. "It's indescribable for me, due to the fact that I haven't had that acquisition to beryllium that grandparent. I emotion it," she said.

After the archetypal twelvemonth with her surrogate grandsons, Firestein Daw's youngest kid amazed her with news: She was going to person a baby.

Her granddaughter was calved successful March. But her emotion for Cameron and Cayden has not changed. "It hasn't changed anything. Doesn't alteration thing for me, those boys are mine," she said.

For the Turners, the narration has brought a consciousness of completion. "It's similar closing a loop," Anderson Turner said. "And by adding her successful it's like, we consciousness complete."

The Surrogate Grandparents USA radical continues to grow, with laminitis Donna Skora saying she is amazed astatine however galore unconventional families person formed done it. She adds that it is ever up to the parent's discretion and information should ever beryllium followed erstwhile gathering up with idiosyncratic online.