Reddit: "What is something you did as a kid that heavily impacted your parents, but you didn't know until later in life? (self.AskReddit)"
"Not an impact on my parents, but on my grandfather. My grandmother died right after I turned a year old. She was his life. He lived to take care of her, loved spending any and all time with her that he could. He had just retired and was hoping to spend the rest of his days with her... But obviously that couldn't happen and she ended up dying from a heart attack in his arms. Needless to say, he was devastated and could hardly function. He began drinking heavily and apparently was thought to be suicidal. So much so that my sister claimed she was terrified to be around him (she was eight at the time).
Anyway, my parents weren't doing good for money back then. My dad was on disability and my mom had to go back to work. She had arranged for babysitting for me, but the sitter was unable to begin watching me once she began her job, so she pleaded with my grandfather to watch me. He had no interest and claimed that he had no clue how to watch a young child. He told her no. She tried to find more babysitting but was unsuccessful... So finally my grandfather gave in and watched me, but it was only to be for the two weeks. The two weeks went by and when she went to take me and begin my care with the sitter he held onto me tight and said to her in his most serious way, "You cannot take this child from me."
Apparently I saved my grandfather's life. He was on the road to self-destruction but after being left with me for two weeks he saw reason to live. He learned tons from me and got a chance to be a parent again and the whole time growing up in his care he always explained to people that I "took care of him". I didn't understand it at the time, but now I see that he always needed someone to care for. Without that he had nothing. And in a sense that's how someone could take care of him... By just being there."