There’s something very special about watching our parents become grandparents. Unburdened by the responsibility of raising decent people and contributing citizens, grandparents get the unique opportunity to simply love the children of their children without all of the pressure. For Mariana Queiroz’s family, the love her father shows her son is magnified because he’d had the indescribable experience of losing a child.
When he became a grandpa, his grandson not only brought new life and joy into the family, as all babies do, but he also gave Mariana’s father a reason to smile again.
Mariana shared a video of her father and her son together.
Mariana, a Portuguese-speaking mom, entrepreneur, and digital influencer, told her family’s story in a series of adorable videos of her father and his new grandson. Over each adorable clip of the grandfather and grandson in the Instagram post, Mariana revealed more and more beautifully specific details about their dynamic.
It began with tragedy. “My parents lost a 7-year-old son. Leukemia took my brother, and since then, my father has never smiled again,” she wrote in text that has been translated to English. The loss of her brother changed the family forever. Mariana’s parents separated and her own relationship with her dad became more distant.
Mariana said her father changed when she told him she was expecting.
Years later, she found out she was pregnant. “My dream has always been to have a baby boy, hoping that maybe my father would smile again.” When Mariana told her father that she was expecting a boy, he smiled.
Mariana said she hadn’t seen that particular face from her father since her brother died. “He changed completely,” she explained. “Both as a person and as a father. During my pregnancy, he grew much closer to me …”
Mariana’s son arrived unexpectedly.
Mariana’s son was born prematurely, almost a month early. Although his arrival was unplanned, it was on the same day her brother had died, in the same hospital, 20 years later.
“I have no doubt that my brother sent my son on this date to bring joy to our lives and to give new meaning to the day that was once filled with sadness for my family,” she shared in a video. “Today, my father is a proud, doting grandfather! He is in love with my son and has started smiling and living again.”
Now, she has greater empathy for her dad.
Then, addressing her father, she wrote, “Today, being a mother, I understand your pain, dad, and I am so sorry! Truly sorry. But life gave us the gift, who is in love with you. So enjoy this love and never stop smiling. I love you so much.”
Even though many people were moved by her words, there were those who chose to focus on the years the father wasn’t able to connect with his daughter. “This is a beautiful story, but it’s also heartbreaking that he couldn’t live for his daughter too,” another Instagrammer wrote. “She was there the whole time.”
Other people shared their stories of grief and healing.
Mariana’s vulnerability moved and inspired other people to share their stories of grief and healing.
“I lost a 6 month old child to meningitis,” one mother wrote. “My second son. My oldest son was still a baby and needed me. Through the grief he saved me and my marriage survived, but I can understand how this could destroy a family.
“When my surviving son was having his own child, he asked if it would be okay to name a baby boy after his brother, not sure if it would be hurtful or not,” she added. “We considered it an honor and now our grandson carries his uncle’s name. I am happy for the father, daughter and baby in this story.”
