Both of my parents died before my son was born. My grandmother ended up being my son's grandma too.

"My mom died when I was young, so I grew up spending summers with her mom in South Dakota. I loved that time with her, but I often only saw her that one time of year. I lived back in Florida with my dad for the rest of the year. When my grandma was older, she embraced the snowbird lifestyle and spent half the year in Florida to escape the Midwest winters."

"It was always so easy for me to spend time with her I joined her for church on Sundays, and we often went out to lunch. Even as a young adult, my idea of a good time was waking up early on a Saturday and going to yard sales with her to hunt deals together. I spent so much time with her that when she went back up north in the Spring, my entire social calendar would shift."

"Looking back, she seemed like such a Wonder Woman to me that I didn't fully consider her age. In her 70s, taking care of a toddler would have been a huge undertaking. But she always said yes when I needed help, and she really nurtured my son when he was with her. They went for nature walks together, drew pictures, and played games, which is what she did with me at his age, too."

The narrator lost both parents young and spent summers with a grandmother in South Dakota while living in Florida with a father. As an adult, the grandmother split her time between the Midwest and Florida, allowing frequent visits that included church, lunches, and yard-sale outings. After both parents died, the grandmother became a primary caregiver for the narrator's son, providing childcare, meals, clothing, and nurturing activities. She consistently offered practical and emotional support despite advanced age, fostering deep multi-generational bonds and shaping the narrator's values about parenting and time together.

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