I’m 80 now, and my only grandson is the light of my life. I helped raise him from the day he could crawl. And while I’ve always been glad to help, lately I’ve realized my DIL has taken full advantage of that. To my son, she plays the “PERFECT WIFE,” but while he’s working, she’s off getting manicures and brunching with friends – leaving me to watch the baby WITHOUT EVER ASKING IF I NEED A BREAK!
Still, I did it with love… Until my 70th birthday. That day was the last straw.
She told me we’d have a quiet family lunch. But instead, she HUMILIATED ME IN FRONT OF MY OWN FAMILY! She said I was “TOO OLD” to babysit my grandson and that I needed to “let go.”
LET GO!?
I smiled politely that day. But trust me… SHE’D MESSED WITH THE WRONG GRANDMA. She was about to find out age doesn’t mean weak. And I’m just getting started.
I was never the “quiet knitting” kind of grandma — more the roller-skating, midnight-salsa, puppy-yoga type. At 79, I still wanted a bigger to-do list. My favorite “adventure” was Jason, my grandson, who I watched almost daily while my daughter-in-law, Kelly, had “stuff” to do. My son Jack thought Kelly was supermom, never realizing I kept the house clean and Jason happy. When Jack started sending me extra money, Kelly’s smile got tight. I overheard her once: “If he keeps sending her that much, I’ll never get the…” She stopped short, but I knew something was brewing.
At my 80th birthday picnic, Jason gave me a pink scooter. We rode off, but when I turned for ice cream — he was gone. Kelly pounced: “See? She can’t handle it!” Moments later, Jason popped out from under a blanket, giggling, “Mom told me to hide from you.” Soon after, I saw Kelly’s Instagram post with “@nanny.nina.”
I met Nina, paid her a month’s wages to have a “family emergency” the day Jack and Kelly left for vacation. Jason spent the summer with me — pies, museums, adventures. When Jack returned to a spotless house, he finally saw the truth. No one could out-grandma me.