‘Morbid’ Condition Grandma Insisted on Before Babysitting Toddler Praised

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‘Morbid’ Condition Grandma Insisted on Before Babysitting Toddler Praised

Even in the best of circumstances, finding child care can be challenging—let alone when it’s needed for a long time while on vacation in Europe. One woman is lucky enough to have her parents as caregivers, but their willingness to watch their granddaughter was contingent upon one requirement.

Racking up 1.1 million views on TikTok, Emma Brown (@emma.kay.brown) can be seen sitting at a dining room table and signing paperwork, followed by her dad, mom and husband.

The text layered over the footage explains, “my mom said the only way she’d watch out daughter while we’re in Europe is if we have a will so here we are signing our will the day before our flight.”

In the caption, Brown, from Kentucky, refers to the request as “kind [of] morbid” but admits it was something they have been meaning to do. According to a Caring.com survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, almost six in 10 U.S. adults don’t have a will. The results found that medical/healthcare powers of attorney are more common than wills or living trusts. Of the 1,003 respondents, 53 percent have granted someone legal authorization to make decisions on their medical care if they are unable to do so.

So far, the video shared on July 5 has gained a lot of attention and it turns out these grandparents aren’t the only ones to request a will.

“My mom did the same exact thing. You just. never. know. I can’t tell her how much I appreciate how she continues to look out for us,” said one user on the clip that has over 97,000 likes.

Another user said: “I actually love this! Some of the adult stuff is hard to think about/do but really beneficial! I hope you guys have an amazing trip!!!”

Brown told one user: “It can be hard but so beneficial!”

“I don’t blame you! This is smart. I lost a friend unexpectedly at age 28, his wife went through so much without a will. Get a will!” vouched a third commenter.

A fourth said: “Your mom is looking out for you and your baby. This is actually so wholesome, not morbid.”

Grandparents babysitting
A stock image of grandparents babysitting a toddler. Newsweek has shared the top reasons why parents go on child-free vacations.

bernardbodo/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Other comments include questions about why the toddler isn’t invited on their trip to France and Italy. Brown is yet to respond but it looks like she is celebrating a close friend’s birthday. Research has previously revealed that many parents do not want to travel with kids under the age of two.

In 2019, Travel Pulse, a travel trade website, shared the results from a Jetcost.com study of 4,800 American parents over the age of 18 and all with at least one child below the age of 6. The results found many parents choose to travel for some alone time without their children. In fact, 28 percent of adults with children have taken a getaway specifically to be on their own as a couple.

For some, the decision to leave their children behind is driven by the high cost of traveling with kids (21 percent), while 17 percent cited their children being too young as the reason. Two-fifths of parents traveling abroad stated they wouldn’t take children under the age of two, and an additional 19 percent said they wouldn’t bring children under the age of three.

Newsweek reached out to @emma.kay.brown for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case.

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