My son married a woman with two children, and from the start I loved them as my own. They called me Grandma, and I made sure they were always included. But one day my daughter-in-law told me bluntly, “They’re not your real grandchildren.” When she later had a baby with my son, she invited me to meet my “real” grandchild. I refused to choose and said all three were mine.
After that, she cut off contact. A year passed in silence—until her oldest child messaged me, saying they missed me. Now I’m torn between reaching out to the children I love and fearing I’ll only make things worse with their mother. I don’t want conflict. I just want to love all my grandchildren without being punished for it.
