Your Family

GRANDPARENT SPLITS According to a study at Pennsylvania State University, when grandparents divorce, their relationships with grandchildren often suffer. Grandparents who go through a divorce, particularly grandfathers, have less contact with their grandkids, feel less close to them and consider grandparenting less important in their lives than those who stayed married.

DIVERSE FRIENDS A racially diverse student body in U.S. high schools does not automatically lead to interracial friendships, says a study published in the American Journal of Sociology. Researchers found teens tend to choose same-race friends, even as chances to choose friends of different races increase. The study suggests that schools interested in promoting substantive racial integration should encourage activities that bind students of different races.

SCHEDULED BIRTHS Reports from ob-gyns show more moms-to-be are requesting scheduled C-section deliveries, even when there is no pressing medical need for the surgery. Cesarean rates in the U.S. have been climbing steadily, from 20.7% in 1996 to 22.9% in 2000, according to data from the CDC. For busy pregnant women, a scheduled birth can relieve anxiety, and grandparents can plan to be at the birth to provide support and extra hands for diaper duty.