Too Little Or Too Much Time With The Kids? Grandparenting Is Tough In A Pandemic

Denise and Richard Victor of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., have been missing their grandkids, whom they haven’t seen since February. Before the pandemic, they had regular visits with grandsons (from left) Daren Cosola, Stirling Victor, Davis Victor and Lucas Cosola.

Courtesy of the Victor family

Back in pre-pandemic times, Richard and Denise Victor would get to see their four grandchildren almost every day. One set of kids lives around the block from them in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; the others are half an hour away, all close enough for frequent visits and sleepovers.

“With the younger ones, we have a routine of stories when they spend the night,” Richard Victor says.

But when the coronavirus hit, the couple were at their vacation home in Florida, and suddenly it wasn’t safe to leave. They’ve been sheltering there for three months, missing their grandkids and struggling with an absence that FaceTime just can’t fill.