Cynthia Gonzalez has raised her niece and two granddaughters.
Cynthia Gonzalez
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cynthia Gonzalez, 58, who is raising two of her grandchildren in Tucson, Arizona — one since she was a baby, and the other since age 11. Business Insider also spoke with Serina Palacio, her 40-year-old daughter, who helps raise them. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.I work as an IT supervisor for the city of Tucson. I've also worked for H&R Block for 21 years, helping people with their taxes. My husband is an HVAC service manager. We each bring in between $40,000 and $50,000 annually.I came from a dysfunctional family, and I struggled with addiction for 20 years. I have three children, and my husband has four. Five years ago, before I started raising my grandchildren, I fostered my niece and nephew and later adopted my niece, who was 11 at the time. After adopting our niece, we decided not to foster any more children and gave up our foster license. We were looking forward to retirement and doing some traveling.My husband's daughter was in and out of our lives, but moved back closer to us two years ago when she was pregnant. She had her fourth baby, and soon after, we took in two of her kids, including the baby.I became eligible to retire last September, but I can't afford to. We are now raising two of our grandchildren and our niece, who are ages 2, 12, and 16.We took in two of our grandchildrenAt 56, I was in shock. What was I going to do with a newborn baby? After some personal struggles, my stepdaughter died in mid-2024.We were encouraged to keep the two kids because we could care for them. We adopted the baby in 2025, and we are still going through the official adoption process for the now 12-year-old.
