My dad’s mother and father were gone by the time I was born (the youngest).
My maternal grandmother was still around, and she was a sweet old lady. She was strict, but fair.
After all, she had birthed 19 children and gotten 14 of them to adulthood in the early 20th Century.
But mostly, my late sister Donna babysat me when necessary.
She hated me because she was no longer the baby of the family.
She tied me to the porch post once, and she left to go play with her friends.
She put a pillow over my face one day and almost killed me.
My mother acted as if that were no big deal. Not out of apathy about it, but rather trying to defuse the situation.
She didn’t want me to get hysterical over it.
When we were both adults, Donna and I got along very well.
She must have apologized to me 20 times over the years, both for the pillow and for the porch post.
I always told her I loved her and forgave her, and that bygones were bygones.
My Dad’s Mom was 74 when she took care of me. She had broken her hip when she was 70. My brother and sister stayed with my other Grandparents because they thought 4 year old me was all she could handle, AND my sister had a heart condition and went to a special school. I feel sorry for her now but when you’re only 4 you just think she’s mean. lol