Mom reveals the heartbreaking reason her toddler always 'clings' to his great-grandma after great-grandpa's demise
Little kids have the biggest emotions at times. They might not be able to sum up what they are feeling into intelligible words but they express a lot through their actions. A mom named Kaley who goes by @outdoorsysahm on TikTok, shared a heartwrenching video on her page to give her viewers a glimpse of the "celebration of life" that was held for the family's departed great-grandfather, Papa. According to Newsweek, the Arkansas resident is a mom of 3 kids who have always been close with her own grandparents.
So when Papa passed away, Kaley's 22-month-old son, who had developed a closer bond with Kaley's grandparents, grieved for his beloved great-grandfather in his own innocent way. The toddler started clinging closely to his great-grandma and refused to let go of her for long durations. Little JJ was afraid that his great-grandma would leave him as well as Papa did. In the video, JJ was seen hugging his great-grandmother's arm tightly while the rest of the family grieved for Papa.
"Nana and Papa raised me," the mom told Newsweek. "We would stay with them a lot growing up. I was closest to Nana though because she took care of me for the first two years of my life." Kaley considered Nana as her "safe place." When she was pregnant with her first child in college and she decided to keep her baby, her grandparents were always there to support Kaley and her child. In 2022, Kaley escaped a violent relationship and moved halfway across the country along with her kids until the trial, Kaley's grandparents came to live with her so she didn't have to be alone. However, her 86-year-old grandfather struggled with his returning cancer and dementia diagnosis. So, Nana and Papa had to return to their home.
After the legal hassle and Kaley's ex taking a plea deal, she felt safe enough to return home and started caring for her grandparents to repay them for their kindness. "Every night JJ would sleep in between them in bed and his bond with them grew closer," Kaley spoke about her son and her grandparents as Papa's health started worsening. "Papa lost the ability to walk, talk and eat on his own about a month ago and had to be put into a nursing home that specializes in dementia." It was evident that Papa's chances of survival were slim. "I took the kids to say goodbye and a few hours later he passed away in his sleep with Nana holding his hand right next to him," Kaley recalled to the outlet.
Kaley saw her grandma returning home in the middle of the night after being by her husband's side during the day. That was a clear indication of Papa's demise. That was the moment when little JJ started clinging to his great-grandma. "Nana had broken down crying," Kaley shared. "We hugged and then JJ woke up and ran straight to her and hugged her and wouldn't let go. He cuddles her every night since." Kaley expressed her thoughts on why JJ reacted the way he did.
"Those first few days were really hard on her. It was like he just knew because he laid in bed with her all day long when he's usually really hyper," Kaley continued. JJ's presence made Nana laugh and come out of her grief, momentarily. "When nana didn't wanna eat he would bring her food and put it up to her mouth and say, 'Eat eat.' He's the one that got her to get out of bed. JJ and Nana have always gone on walks and he will sit with her and sip on his milk out of a teacup while she has her morning coffee," Kaley concluded. "She likes to let him make messes and then teaches him how to clean up. Kaley has shared some other videos of Nana and JJ cuddling and spending time together on her profile.
You can follow Kaley (@outdoorsysahm) on TikTok for more videos on lifestyle.