Gina Heslop
In our seventies, my husband and I have a tradition for our grandkids’ weddings. The day before their big day, we give them $40,000 and a small present from their registry. For our youngest granddaughter, Eloise, we sent an air fryer, the cheapest item on her list.
When Eloise got the air fryer, she called us angry, saying we were cheap. She didn’t know about the $40,000 check we planned to give her.
I tried to explain, but she was too mad to listen. She felt hurt and thought we didn’t care enough to give her something nicer.
Even though she was upset, we still decided to give her the $40,000. But we also got her a china set to make things right. We hoped she’d see our love behind the gifts.
But Eloise stayed angry. She even threatened to skip Christmas and accused us of treating her differently from her cousins who got the money.
We told her we didn’t give her the money because of her reaction, not because of the gift. We wanted her to understand that.
Despite everything, we stick to our decision. Love and respect matter more than things. We hope Eloise will see that and come back to us.
This whole thing taught us being grandparents isn’t easy. But what’s most important is the love we share with our grandkids. Stuff doesn’t matter as much as family does.
