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

The author's grandmother became like a grandparent to her son.

Courtesy of the author

• I lost my parents young and relied on my grandma for support.
• She became a second parent to me, and a grandmother to my son.
• Her love shaped how I parent and value time together.

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.