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SURROGATE GRANDPARENTING WORKS FOR THIS FAMILY

Some of the most influential relationships in life are those between grandparents and grandchildren. Nearly 70 million people in the U.S. are grandparents and about 70% of Americans say those bonds are important, according to YouGov.

But distance, busy schedules, strained relationships, and adults choosing not to have children have left many families without them. Increasingly, some are turning to unconventional solutions.

Anteres Anderson Turner and Louis Turner, who are raising twin boys — Caden and Cameron — in Southern California, realized two years ago that something was missing from their family.

"We were talking about the village, the village that, you know, we had growing up, the grandparents would like come and like hang out or just impart their wisdom," said Anderson Turner.

Caden and Cameron's paternal grandparents live across the country. Anderson Turner's father died during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her mother is not actively involved.

In California, twin boys gained a surrogate grandmother through a Facebook group, filling a void for both generations.CBS News

"I was like, 'My God, I wish there was like a way to just like adopt somebody,'" she said. "I'm like, can you just go trolling, like nursing homes and say, 'Hey, like, does anybody need like a grandchild?'"

Instead, the family searched online and found Surrogate Grandparents USA, a Facebook group with about 12,000 members. WATCH VIDEO and READ THE STORY