It can be overwhelming for any parent to become a grandparent, especially if your child is still young themselves when they’re expecting their first. A bewildered 38-year-old woman was experiencing this exact uneasiness when she called in to Savannah James’ show, Everybody’s Crazy. After explaining that her 20-year-old son was expecting a child, the caller shared that she wasn’t mentally prepared to be a young grandmother.
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The caller also stressed that she didn’t want to see her son bearing the responsibility of fatherhood at such a young age, especially considering she had him when she was a teenager. James and her cohost, April McDaniel, weren’t able to speak with the caller directly, but Savannah understood exactly why the woman called.
As a former teen mom herself, Savannah shared that her mother had similar feelings when she had Bronny at just 18 years old. James explained that her mom shared a similar sentiment to the caller’s, expressing that she wanted more for her. But Savannah ensured her that things would be alright, and with her parents’ support, they were.
“It’s hard, especially when you have a different idea of what you want for your kids,” Savannah said. “You just gotta be there to support them … Cause I don’t know how the situation would’ve been for me had I not had the support. Because I knew what I wasn’t gonna do, is not have the baby.”
James and McDaniel then discussed what “support” from grandparents truly means. McDaniel insisted that some view support as “to be taken care of,” which she adamantly claimed she would not do for her future grandchild. Savannah explained that her parents certainly didn’t raise her children, but they played a big role, especially before she finally hired a nanny.
“I did what I had to do. My parents supported me in the way that you’re explaining. Like, they didn’t raise my kids or take care of them, but they definitely supported me … so that I was still able to do 18-year-old things,” Savannah continued. “But also supported me enough to be like, ‘Okay, now you need to get your baby.'”
Savannah’s parents were key in her children’s development, as the James family didn’t welcome a nanny until Bronny was 7 years old. It wasn’t a lasting partnership, though. “I had her for a year, and then I was like, ‘Yeah, nope. Where my mom at?’ … Then I had nobody ’til I had Zhuri, until Zhuri was 3, also. So I didn’t have a nanny then either,” she explained.
Some mothers prefer to sleep whenever they have a chance, but Savannah shared that she actually enjoyed the sleepless nights with her babies. Especially now that her boys are grown, Savannah can reminisce on all the moments she experienced with her children that she may not have had with a full-time nanny.
