In Honor of Kinship Month, Madison Marple Speaks About Her Positive Experience Being Raised by Her Grandparents

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- The Muskingum County Children Services is observing September as the Grandparent and Kinship month. This is to raise awareness, educate, and to erase the stigma about kinship care.

If you’re unfamiliar, kinship care is when children are raised by a relative -whether it be a cousin, an aunt or uncle, or grandparents- when they’re unable to be raised with their biological parents. More than 200,000 children are being raised by relatives in the state of Ohio, with 1,200 of those in Muskingum County alone. To raise awareness, Children Services put us in contact with a strong local youth who was raised by her grandparents. Madison Marple was placed in the care of her grandparents after her mother was deemed unable to provide and care for her and her two other siblings. She says the experience has made her who she is today and she is unashamed to be a kinship child and hopes to normalize the experience for others. Madison had this to say to encourage others living with relatives. 

“It is not embarrassing, that you should think that you should be so grateful because really these family members took you into their care, like they love you… So really just be so grateful that there are people that truly love you and are willing to take you in in your darkest times,” Madison Marple, one of Muskingum County’s kinship children stated.

Being raised by her grandparents did have it’s setbacks socially with the stimage attached. She didn’t feel like she fit in when they wrote cards for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in elementary school when her’s were addressed to her grandparents. However, other than that, she’s found value and her place in the world from her experience being raised by her grandparents. 

“When it comes to my grandparents, I feel like I didn’t miss out at all because if anything they gave me more of a life. They gave me opportunity to grow socially, they gave me opportunity to grow emotionally. I don’t believe that it really matters what relative you’re living with, I believe that as long as they have that strong support system and show you that love that you need and motivate you that I didn’t miss out on anything,” Marple said.  

You can learn more at the paper doll display at the Colony Square Mall near the food court where each doll represents a child in Muskingum County in kinship care. For more information on the Kinship program at the Muskingum County Children Services you can contact the Kinship Supervisor Patrick Donovan at (740)-452-6339 EXT. 112.