My grandmother never spared any time, money, or love for me. I was not her only granddaughter, but I was the only one who lived nearby, in the same city, in neighboring neighborhoods, so we often saw each other and talked. Grandma was my good friend and counselor. She was very happy when I told her about my interests, hobbies and boys. She was also more supportive than my family of my first relationship with my boyfriend.
She was seventy-two and I was twenty-four when I got married and found out I was expecting a baby. Even though my grandmother occasionally had these pessimistic thoughts, like she was old, she didn’t have long to live and so on, I was sure that she was still going to make it. She is very active and feels very well most of the time. So I believed that she would be very happy about the news of a future great-grandson or great-granddaughter – such a chance to babysit again, like she did many years ago. But Grandma wasn’t happy.
She wondered why I, so young, would want a child.
– Do you think I’m going to babysit him? I’m already one foot in the coffin, I didn’t sign up to be a babysitter! And your mother even works. How do you imagine all this? Who’s gonna raise the baby for you?
I didn’t ask to do anything for me, I was hoping for some basic support.
My husband says it was just unexpected for my grandmother, so she got confused, but she accidentally hurt me a lot. As if I asked for something from her, or brought such news at sixteen. I’m all grown up, independent and married, and I’m totally ready for a baby. Then what’s the problem? Is it that she’s having trouble accepting that she’s going to be a great-grandmother?
