Segurar a família pelas pontas: Os dilemas dos avós cuidadores a tempo inteiro

Caring for a grandkin on a full-time basis, when biological parents are permanently absent, is an unexpected task for grandparents. However, in contemporary society, this is an increasingly emergent problem in many countries. The increase in unemployment, divorce, emigration, teenage pregnancy, drug use, detention, terminal diseases or biological parents’ death push grandparents to assume responsabilities that make them face individual, intra‑familiar and extra‑familiar dilemmas. Using a systemic view as a background, this article highlights particularities of this new family configuration.