Grandfather Accused Of 'Playing Favorites' After Giving One Grandchild An Extra Easter Gift
This family's drama is actually a tragedy.
Evgeny Atamanenko | Shutterstock Families who celebrate Easter know that dying eggs is only half the fun of the holiday. The real fun is getting the treats in an Easter basket! For one grandfather, however, a kind gesture toward his struggling granddaughter in the form of an extra Easter gift had his adult children making some bold claims regarding favoritism.
The grandfather gave his teen granddaughter an extra Easter basket in private, but after catching wind of it, his adult children made everyone, even his other grandkids, aware. However, he asserted that there was a perfectly valid explanation behind his decision.
A grandfather only gave one of his grandchildren an extra Easter gift.
Easter baskets and other gifts have become surprisingly common sources of family tension. This grandfather’s story is no exception. Sharing his Easter drama on Reddit, the 57-year-old man revealed that his eldest granddaughter, “A,” recently came to live with him and his wife. “A’s dad (my son) passed away two months ago today. A’s mom passed away when she was only 4 from cancer,” the man wrote.
When Easter rolled around, the man and his wife gifted 15-year-old A an Easter basket filled with candy and gift cards. They also composed baskets for their four other grandchildren, ages 3 to 6.
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However, while the man was on a work trip, he decided to get the struggling teen a little extra something. “It was nothing too big. She just likes to draw so I got her a new sketchbook and colored pencils. I also got a card and some flowers,” he wrote.
When the grandfather's adult daughter saw the extra Easter gift for the eldest granddaughter, she accused her dad of playing favorites.
He arrived home early morning on Easter Sunday, hoping to give A her gifts before the rest of the family arrived later in the afternoon. He was surprised to find them all standing in the driveway when he got home. One of his adult daughters immediately took notice of the gifts in the car.
“She asked if I got A a gift and I said yes because there’s no point in denying it,” the man shared. “She started going on that A is the favorite and told my other grand kids that grandpa didn’t give them anything only A. That caused the other grandkids to get upset.”
While the man tried to explain that he didn’t intend to present his gift to A in front of everyone else and that he only got her an additional gift, given everything she endured the last couple of months, his daughter still accused him of playing favorites. Now, he is wondering if he truly was being unfair to his other grandkids by not getting them additional gifts as well.
Most people assured the grandfather that he did nothing wrong.
“You didn't intend to get the extra gift for A in front of everyone, and every other grandchild got their Easter treat from the grandparents,” one Redditor noted. “I can't believe your daughter can be so self-absorbed and insensitive as to make a fuss about HER ORPHANED NIECE receiving a sketchbook and flowers after LOSING HER ONE REMAINING PARENT only TWO MONTHS AGO.”
“You know what gift your other grandkids have that A doesn’t? Living parents. I’m pretty sure A would happily exchange the sketchbook for one of her parents,” another user wrote. “You’re not just her grandparent anymore. You’re her guardian now. It would be wild (and almost neglectful) if you didn’t treat her differently than your other grandkids,” another user noted.
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That certainly seems to be an integral detail to the story. Grandpa isn't just this teen girl's grandparent any longer. He is now her parent. According to the U.S. Census, he's not alone in becoming a surrogate parent later in life either. As of 2021, nearly 7 million grandparents lived in homes with grandchildren, and of those, just over 2 million were acting in a parental capacity.
It sounds more like the man's adult daughter is struggling with her dad's newfound role more than anyone else in this situation, and whether it's jealousy or a sense of guilt in stepping up to help her niece is unclear. What is clear, however, is that the adults in this family need to sit down together and have a difficult conversation about their new dynamic.
The grandfather, recognizing that his eldest granddaughter is at a disadvantage that no kid should have to endure, does not negate the love he has for his other grandchildren. He bought that simple sketchbook, a few colored pencils, and some flowers to offer a bit of comfort to A during her first holiday without both of her parents.
Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.
