12 Grandmothers Who Proved to Be Tougher Than Action Heroes

Grandmothers, with their years of wisdom and life experience, often amaze us with their strength and resilience. They have a way of stepping up in tough moments, showing just how incredible they truly are. Their quiet courage and steady guidance can turn even the hardest situations around.

• My mom was driving grandma to the grocery store when they got in a car accident. My mom was fine, but one of grandma's kneecaps was in pieces from hitting the dashboard. She refused to go to the hospital and said, "I need to get my groceries and then go home and take some aspirin!" © littlekidsjl / Reddit

• After my grandpa passed away, my grandma didn’t shed a single tear. Not even at his funeral. She stood tall with a grin on her face. Confused, I whispered to her, “Grandma, are you not sad at all?”
  She leaned in, winked, and said, “Your grandpa told me that if anyone cried at his funeral, he’d haunt us for the rest of our lives.” That’s how my grandpa wanted to be remembered—with laughter, not sadness—and I think that’s beautiful.

• A few years ago, my grandma had some chest pain. A few weeks later, she was at the hospital for her usual medical reasons, and the doctor asked her if she was aware that she had had a heart attack in the last few months. She didn't even suspect it til the doctor told her, and she was even WORKING at our family's golf course the day it happened. © Unknown author / Reddit

• My grandma fought off a would-be burglar at the ripe old age of 79 because, "I wasn't about to let him have my purse!" Beat him off with a cane until someone came running out of another store and helped her. © Cometstarlight / Reddit

• It was the summer before I left for college. My grandmother was just about done making breakfast for my grandfather when she had a stroke.
  My grandfather freaked out a bit and started getting ready to take her to the hospital when she said, "I'm not going to the damned before I feed the chickens and not before I eat the breakfast I just made for us." So she went ahead and ate her breakfast, fed the chickens, then off to the hospital they went. © Thunder_Farts / Reddit

• I loved scaring my grandma. When she came out of the bathroom or the office, I would jump up and yell "boo" and she'd jump, and we'd both have a laugh. But she'd always get me back.
  One time, she hid behind the shower curtain and jumped out as I came in and... I needed a new pair of pants and underwear. I never heard her laugh so hard in my life. © Unknown author / Reddit

• When I was a kid, my maternal grandmother lived with us. One night, a bunch of high school kids mistook our house for our neighbor's (their teacher) and stuck little plastic forks all over the entire lawn. By the time the rest of us got up the next morning, my grandmother had collected all those forks and used them as stands to prop up flowers in her flowerbeds. © MatttheBruinsfan / Reddit

• My great-grandmother knocked three angry men off the porch and into the yard with one swing of a rubber doormat. They were chasing one of her sons. © knotby9 / Reddit

• When I was about 4 years old, my grandma came for a visit. She brought chocolate along. I love chocolate. My mom forbade me from eating it.
  A few days later, my mom left me with my grandma while she and my dad ran some errands. As grandparents do, she always spoiled me and let me have as much chocolate as I wanted. Suddenly, my parents returned. I began to cry, my mouth filled with delicious prohibited chocolate. It was then, that my grandma bestowed upon me one of life's most enduring lessons, "If you put it in your mouth, they can't take it away from you." © lauramonster / Reddit

• My grandmother was once mugged, but she fell on her purse and couldn't get up. The muggers couldn't get her up off of the bag, so they didn't get to rob her! Success. © beatricemcwhipple / Reddit

• My grandma was the sweetest, friendliest woman. Never had a single ill word for other people. Took in all kinds of stray kids, animals, and relatives her entire life. When she was a teenager, however...
  She was really into boys. To impress a group of them from a neighboring community, she took her father's 1950 Thunderbird and was drag racing them on a back road. She flipped the thing, and split her head open. I did not know this until she was in the hospital for the last time and her hair had begun to severely thin out. © doublepulse / Reddit

• My grandma had 2 boyfriends (at the same time) in the old folk's home she lives in. She's 98.
  © blladnar / Reddit

If you love heartwarming stories about amazing grandparents, we’ve got plenty more for you to enjoy. Check out 14 Grandparents Whose Love Flows Through Every Branch of Their Family.