Daughter said she 'still texts' late grandpa. When mom opened the messages, she couldn't stop crying

A mother shared that her daughter had been texting her late grandfather, who passed away four months ago — and when she finally read the messages, she broke down. Briana Richardson, who goes by @bremuvaof4 on Instagram, posted a video in October 2025, showing her daughter Payton’s text thread with her "PawPaw." The messages revealed how much the 11-year-old still missed him and how she’d been keeping in touch in her own way.

The video shows short messages Payton had sent over time, telling her grandpa she loved him, missed him, and that she was now 11 years old. There was one longer message where Payton had written: "I really miss you, I just wanna hug you again and see you shave your head one last time. And watch us play in the front yard and actually play with us — we barely do anything now. I miss hearing you come in the house in the morning and you saying good morning to us."

The message continued, "I miss how you would say you love us. I just miss your voice. I really miss you and love how you would treat Granny like a queen and how you always had a way to make people happy and feel loved. You are an amazing person/grandpa/husband/dad, and uncle. We all miss you, but I know God loves you and is taking care of you. I act like I’m fine, and I cry in my room a lot at night thinking about all the amazing things we did together. I love you so much, and bye."

For her mom, seeing those texts was a reminder that her daughter had a different yet beautiful way of coping with the loss of her "PawPaw." A 2022 study by L. Alvis et al., published in the Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, found that children’s grief often looks different from adults’ because it’s filtered through their stage of development. Younger kids, especially, tend to maintain "continuing bonds" with those they’ve lost, through actions like talking to them, writing notes, or, in Payton’s case, sending text messages. The study noted that these behaviors are a healthy part of how children process loss and find meaning in it.

Sharing a bunch of pictures of her family, Richardson reminisced about their time together and wrote, "4 months later, this is my story. This is my journey… we’re still broken. Happy 11th Birthday, baby girl. I know PawPaw is looking down on you, smiling at how proud he is. Payton, I’m sorry. I wish I had noticed your pain outside of mine. Yesterday was your birthday, and I know he’s here with us. I’m lost for words. We love and miss you, Pop."

The post touched tons of viewers who shared their own experiences of children missing grandparents and finding their own ways to stay connected. @gail_daniels wrote, "She may not find the joy in it now, but she’ll understand how blessed she was to have this relationship with him. What an amazing man he must have been." @rea.rey added, "That ‘I’m 11 now!’ broke me down. No matter what, he was always the light. Happy belated birthday, Payton — your grandpa is watching you always." @chelseamvp commented, "This did it for me. I’ve learned to look at grief as a blessing because to hurt that much means you once experienced true love." 

You can follow Briana Richardson (@bremuvaof4) on Instagram for more family content.

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