My 5-Year-Old Granddaughter Called Me Saying Her Mom Was ‘Pretending She’s Not Scared’ — I Rushed over and Was Left Speechless
When five-year-old Lila whispers over the phone that her mom, Emma, is “pretending not to be scared,” Judy, her grandmother, senses trouble. Lila never calls alone, and her voice is unnervingly soft. Judy, a 61-year-old widow, tries calling Emma, but gets no response. Panicked, she speeds to their house, ignoring red lights, fearing the worst—someone in the house, Emma hurt, or Lila hiding. The house is dark, the door unlocked. Inside, Judy hears water running and
Lila’s scream from the bathroom. Bursting in, she finds Emma wielding a mop and Lila pointing at the ceiling. The crisis? Two tangerine-sized spiders. Emma was hiding her fear to protect Lila, who called Judy when the call dropped. Relieved, they laugh it off, eat popcorn, and Judy stays over, tucking Lila in. Judy reflects on love—sometimes it’s showing up, sometimes it’s snacks at night, just the three of them, making it work.
