Grandparents support their grandkids in a multitude of ways, whether it’s helping to raise them day to day, teaching them new skills and life lessons, showing interest in their hobbies, or providing a listening ear and words of wisdom when they need guidance. But it’s not a one-way relationship — grandchildren enrich their grandparents’ lives in ways big and small, too.
We recently asked the grandparents of the HuffPost Facebook community to share the thoughtful gestures and heartfelt comments from their grandkids that have really stuck with them. Read their sweet stories below:
1. “My granddaughter asked me to let her record me singing the lullabies I used to sing to her so she can have them for her children.” — Ruth G.
2. “I had a very catastrophic fall while out of the country. After two surgeries, I got a flight home and was hospitalized. My granddaughter asked her teacher if everyone in the class could sign the get-well card she made for me. I wept in gratitude for days for having such a thoughtful, caring child in my life.” — Paula B.
3. “During a recent visit, my 7-year-old grandson told me that he’s never homesick when he stays with us because our house is like his house. He also said that he felt sad because he didn’t really want to go home, but he realized that he needed to see his parents and play some Pokémon.” — Nan Wise
4. “My grandson knows I love baseball and takes me to the Yankee games whenever we can get there. It’s really difficult for him because he has to get a wheelchair and car for me and then push me all around the stadium.” — Phyllis M.
5. “Two of my grandkids live 150 miles away. When we go to visit, they are standing in front of the window and jump up and down with excitement when we pull into the driveway. Melts my heart every time! Another grandchild, who is 5, told me recently that she ‘loves me deep in her soul.’” — Sue O.
6. “When my sweet grandson had pneumonia, his mommy told me that he cried for his nana.” — Gail H.
7. “Spotting me coming out of the arrivals section of the airport and running full-speed at me while yelling, ‘Grandma!’ at the top of his lungs. My heart was so full.” — Janet R.
8. “My little granddaughter and I were doing a craft project together, and she said, ‘You’re not talking.’ I said, ‘Oh, OK, what do you want to talk about?’ She said, ‘I don’t care, I just love to hear you talk!’ Well, I was flabbergasted. She was about 5 then. So I told her all about the trip I had taken to Boone, North Carolina, and how much I loved it up there!” — Elizabeth P.
9. “My 14-year-old granddaughter taught herself to crochet and now we like to share patterns and ideas. It’s so much fun to have her share a hobby with me.” — Laurie M.
10. “My 4-year-old grandson picked a dandelion from his backyard and rode his motorized truck to me in the front yard and gave it to me with a smile. I felt loved and special. I am in his little mind and he wanted to please me with a flower.” — Dalila Perez
11. “My grandson would come over and we would play his video games for hours. His mom would call and he decided to stay the night. He wrote me a card one Mother’s Day and it said, ‘Thank you for spending time with me.’ That meant so much to me.” — Teresa B.
12. “My granddaughter told me yesterday I was ‘too pretty for makeup.’” — Leslie R.
13. “When my husband was very sick and taken to hospital, our beautiful 15-year-old granddaughter came and stayed with me so she could be there to visit her poppy and help me out.” — Lynn H.
14. “My 13-year-old grandson always greets me with a big hug and says he loves me. If his friends make a comment, he always says, ‘Don’t you love your grandmother?’” — MaryEllen G.
15. “Comments like ‘Grandma, can I snuggle with you?’ or, when told we had to go home the next day, ‘But I don’t want you to leave!’” When complimented for being gracious and generous about giving up her room to her grandparents, [she] said, ‘But I like it when you visit.’” — Andee B.
Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.