Gen X grandmom issues hard-hitting message to grandparents estranged from their kids and grandkids

Maintaining a relationship is a two-way street. However, many people do not realize that they have not been putting in enough effort to nurture a relationship and that it might be the reason they are not so close to a family member. A Gen X grandmom named Maria–who goes by @mommom.maria on TikTok–has a message for estranged grandparents who do not see their grandchildren very often. In her viral video that has garnered over 365K views, she shared why grandparents may be more responsible than they think for distant relationships with grandchildren.

"If you are a grandparent and you choose not to see your grandchildren, you are too busy, I am not talking about the ones who live very far away," the grandmom says in her video. "But you should be FaceTiming, you should be calling, you should be checking up on. But if you choose not to see your grandchildren more than a couple of times a year, that's on you. That's completely on you. I don't even have anything to say to those grandparents." Maria continued, "But the grandparents who are kept away from grandchildren by the parents of the child, like the fired moms and the estranged grandparents, you know why. Stop acting like the victim."

"Stop acting like you have no idea. 'They are just so unreasonable and you have no idea why they would keep you away from your grandchildren,'" the Gen X woman stated. "You know why. Whatever the reason is, you already know it." She revealed how most grandparents in such circumstances don't care enough to fix the issue, causing the distance. "You probably still don't care to fix the issue. It is way more important to be a victim in this, to the rest of the family, to your friends and on Facebook." The grandmom added, "And I am over it. I am over. I have gotten so many comments on my other grandparent videos from these grandparents. They just act like they have no idea why they are not able to be a part of their grandchildren's lives."

"And you do know, you do," Maria concluded. People on the platform had mixed reactions to the video and took to the comments to express their opinions and share their experiences on the same. @suzy.q.gross commented, "Maybe you need to know what the parents said to their parents! You shouldn't judge some grandparents!" @mrsbarett.24 wrote, "My family lives 2,400 miles away and they see my children more than in-laws that live 10 minutes away."

@lillianbish_ remarked, "THIS. I am 38 weeks pregnant, about to have our baby and not once have I heard from my mother-in-law or my own mother. Their loss." The creator replied, "Oh my God! That's unbelievable! Don't hesitate to private message me if you ever want to vent or just need someone to listen." @maureenroseurquhart shared, "My mum and dad are exceptional grandparents. They dote on my kids. But my husband's mum is selfish. She favors some of the grandkids. We don't speak to her, but have never stopped her seeing the kids." 

You can follow Maria (@mommom.maria) on TikTok for more family-related content.