If you’re reading this, it might be because you can’t see your grandparent right now, maybe me, or someone a little like me.
I want you to know something before anything else.
I think about you.
I care about you.
And I love you, always.
Even though I can’t be with you at the moment, you remain a bright and important part of my heart. Nothing can take that away. This message is here to help you understand a little more, and to remind you that you’re not alone.
None of this is your fault
Children never cause adult problems.
Adults sometimes make decisions that children don’t understand, and those decisions can mean less contact, or even no contact, with someone you love.
But please remember, you haven’t done anything wrong.
It’s ok to miss your grandparent.
If you miss me, or your own grandparent, that’s completely natural.
Missing someone shows that you love them, and that is such a precious thing.
You’re not choosing sides, you’re simply being a caring, loving child.
Your grandparent still loves you
Most grandparents think about their grandchildren every single day, and I am no different. Whatever age grandchildren are, we wonder:
We wonder how you’re growing.
We hope you’re happy at school.
We imagine the things you might be learning, and the jokes you might be telling.
Even though I can’t see you or talk to you just now, my love for you remains strong. Love doesn’t disappear just because people are apart.
It’s okay to feel lots of different feelings
You might feel sad, or confused, or angry.
You might feel worried.
You might feel nothing at all.
Whatever you feel is ok.
Feelings don’t make you bad or wrong, they simply show you what matters to you.
Talking to a trusted adult — a parent, teacher, family friend, or another relative — can help you make sense of things.
Your memories belong to you, no one can take those away.
If you have memories of time with your grandparent, those memories are yours to keep.
Perhaps you remember a silly joke.
A trip you went on.
A story you were told.
Something they cooked.
A hug that made everything feel calm again.
These memories are little treasures you carry in your heart.
You don’t have to take sides.
Even if adults disagree or argue, that is between them.
You are not responsible for fixing anything.
You are allowed to love all the people in your family.
Your job is simply to be a child.
Let the grown-ups deal with the grown-up matters.
Things can change in time.
The way things are today is not how they will be forever.
Families grow, they change, and sometimes they reconnect in ways nobody expected.
Just because you can’t see your grandparent now, doesn’t mean you won’t one day in the future.
Hope is a gentle, powerful thing. You are allowed to hold onto it.
You are loved
No matter what is happening, please remember this.
You are deeply loved.
You matter.
And you are never forgotten.
From one grandparent’s heart to yours, you will always be a part of me.
