A woman who posts as @chronicallygirl on TikTok calls it “the story that got my grandma kicked out of my family.” She was 12 when her grandmother invited her on a road trip to Miami in a motorhome, promising they would finally bond. Instead, the trip ended with a little girl alone at a gas station in the dark, watching the motorhome disappear.
She is careful to say this is not about her other grandmother, whom she adored. This was her mom’s mom, whom the family called Nanny. According to the creator, Nanny never wanted children, said so openly, and showed little warmth toward her granddaughter. When her little brother was born, though, Nanny was thrilled to have a grandson, and the family started visiting every summer.
As the years passed, she says, it became obvious to everyone that Nanny disliked her. Her mom finally told Nanny that if she wanted to keep seeing her grandson, she needed to be nicer to her granddaughter.
The Bonding Trip
That is when Nanny proposed the trip. She owned a small motorhome, which the 12-year-old thought was the coolest thing ever, and she offered to take her granddaughter from Massachusetts to Miami during April vacation, a journey of about four days. The girl was thrilled.
The moment they pulled away, she says, everything changed. Nanny called her a crude nickname and laid out the rules. This was Nanny’s bunk. No back talk. No sarcasm. Be seen and not heard while she drove. Nanny picked the music. She also announced she had a date lined up in several of the states along the way, and her granddaughter would wait in the motorhome.
Then came the bathroom rule. After the girl used the motorhome toilet while Nanny was out for hours on a dinner date, Nanny forbade it, because the tank would have to be emptied. From then on, every bathroom trip meant pulling into a gas station.
As they neared Florida, they stopped at beaches. The fair skinned girl asked for sunscreen. Nanny refused. She ended up with blistering burns so painful she could barely sleep, and Nanny mocked her for being dramatic.
Left Behind in the Dark
Late one night, unable to sleep, she asked to use the motorhome bathroom. Nanny said no and pulled into a gas station. The girl had to go in alone, in her pajamas, covered in blisters, and ask the clerk for the key to the bathroom around back. When she came out, the motorhome was gone.
Her cell phone was still inside it. She ran back into the store, hysterical, and asked the clerk if she could use the landline. She called home and told her mom everything.
Her mom called Nanny and ended the trip on the spot. Nanny came back, furious, insisting she had only gone on one quick date and that a couple of hours alone should be no big deal for a 12-year-old. She drove her granddaughter straight to the Miami airport in silence.
@chronicallygirl
The girl had never been through an airport alone and asked Nanny to walk her to security. Nanny agreed. But by the time the girl reached the checkpoint, she turned around and Nanny was gone. “And we never spoke again,” she says.
She explains why she did not call home sooner. Things were not much better at home, she says, and at least the trip ended in Florida.
Keeping Kids Safe When They Travel With Relatives
Most grandparents would never dream of treating a grandchild this way. Still, any time a child travels without a parent, a little preparation can protect them.
Teach a stranded plan. Children should know their parents’ phone numbers by heart and know to stay put, go inside a business and ask an employee, never a random passerby, for help. Practice it out loud.
Keep a phone on the child. Her phone was left in the motorhome. A basic phone, smartwatch or even a written card with emergency numbers should stay in the child’s pocket, not in a bag or vehicle.
Set check ins. Parents can ask for a call or video chat every evening. A child who has to talk privately each night has a natural chance to speak up.
Pack the essentials yourself. Send sunscreen, any medications and a little cash with the child, rather than counting on the adult to supply them. Serious blistering sunburn on a child can warrant a call to a doctor, especially with fever, chills or signs of infection.
Plan the flight home. Airlines offer unaccompanied minor services for young travelers, with staff escorting them through the airport. Policies vary by age and airline.
If a child does come home with a bad sunburn, cool, damp cloths, plenty of fluids and a gentle moisturizer such as aloe can ease the sting. Leave blisters alone rather than popping them, since broken skin can become infected, and keep the child out of the sun until the skin heals.
Families can also agree on a code word a child can use on the phone to signal that something is wrong without having to explain in front of the adult.
Above all, trust your child when they tell you something is wrong. This mom did, and she cut the trip short the moment her daughter called. As her daughter put it, Nanny’s behavior is what got her kicked out of the family.
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