The Midnight Phone Call

My life as I knew it ended at 2:00 AM on a Tuesday.

Before that call, I was living the "Retirement Version" of my life—the one I had earned after decades of hard work. It was a life of quiet mornings, planned travels, and the gentle rhythm of being a "standard" grandmother. But when the phone rang in the dark, the "retirement version" of my future evaporated. In an instant, I was no longer just a grandma; I was a first responder.

That night, I stepped into the "Shock Zone" of kinship care. I traded my quiet retirement for a rescue mission, and like the 2.7 million other grandparents in America, I realized that "nurturing" wasn't just about hugs—it was about survival, leadership, and resilience.

The "Invisible CEO"

As I navigated the complexities of trauma-informed, kinship caregiving, legal hurdles, emotional literacy, and the deep, often-unspoken weight of Secondary Grief, I realized we needed a new vocabulary for our roles. We aren't just "helping out." We are the Invisible CEOs, building greater family resilience.

We manage the emotional health of the next generation, we navigate the "Ghost Life" of our own lost plans, and we lead through adversity with a shaky but determined hand. I created The 2.7 Million Project to serve as a boardroom and a sanctuary for these leaders.

The Sacred Mission

One evening, while the weight of this second round of parenting felt particularly heavy, my husband Tom looked at me and said something that changed my perspective forever:

"You are the keeper of the future, and your presence is the most sacred thing this family has."

Those words became my North Star. They reminded me that while our hands may be shaking, our presence is the bridge to healing for our grandchildren.

Join the Movement

Through the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren podcast and our upcoming book, I am dedicated to providing you with the tactical strategies, expert clinical insights, and spiritual anchors you need to move from survival to significance.

We are 2.7 million strong. We are still nurturing, and we are still here.

Want to be a guest on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Nurturing Through Adversity? Send Laura Brazan a message on PodMatch, here.