Littlefoot and his grandparents' bond...

[DaveTheAnalyzer]

I’ve been a fan of the bond between Littlefoot and his grandparents ever since I got back into the series and questions have popped up into my mind about the particulars of it.

For one, I wonder how close they were prior to Mama Longneck’s death. Did they contribute to parenting him as much as Mama Longneck did, or did they mostly keep their distance so she would do it herself? (Aside: Now I’m picturing Mama Longneck sending a “help me” look when Littlefoot is being difficult and the grandparents chuckling before replying, “I’m afraid, my dear, this your purview.”) Or was it somewhere in between? Having a parent there can and often does put some distance with the relationship with the grandparents. I have an isolated scene in my head where Littlefoot muses that if Mama Longneck survived, he mightn’t have been as close to his grandparents and wouldn’t be as brokenhearted when they pass on. This leads him to have complicated emotions about who did or didn’t live in his family, and the silver linings such clouds could have.

I also wonder to what extent the grandparents are taking care of Littlefoot for the daughter’s sake and how much they are doing it because they come to care for and value Littlefoot on his own terms. I’m unsure of the exact percentage, but I can surmise the latter increases the longer they take care of Littlefoot.

What are your thoughts on these questions and their bond in general?

[Sovereign]

These are actually really good questions. From the few scenes with the the whole longneck family together, there is close to no interaction with Littlefoot and his grandparents. This seems to point to the direction that they weren't as close to him as his mother was but to be sure, I don't think they'd react similarly to your example. Littlefoot was the last hope for their herd and I'm quite sure his grandparents helped his mother in parenting him if she needed help. However, for their actual, personal bond, I'm not really sure. Grandpa and Grandma never answered Littlefoot's questions and after his birth, they didn't ever look close to him. Could it be that they helped his mother when he was a baby but for some reason their relationship grew colder the older he got while still preserving some dear memories of his early days, just enough for everyone to embrace each other again in the Valley? :unsure:

Your second point, however, brings a morbid question to my mind. How deeply the grandparents missed Littlefoot before he returned to the Valley? Their love and relief is apparent at the end of the film but were they completely heartbroken by his absence during their journey and first days in the Valley? If he was just someone who they had looked after when he was little but never truly taught, was his absence only a small additional pain to the loss of their daughter? I'd like to see the two missing Littlefoot with all their heart but the question is: when he comes back,do they see him as their beloved grandson or as just a living memory of their daughter, as you said. I'd probably say they love him as their only surviving family but their completely personal, intimate bond him was rather weak and thus, they started to parent him because it was their duty to their family and daughter. They loved him all along, obviously with increasing amounts in the films, but it started with normal "family love" and then grew into an actual personal, deep bond that we see today.

I have an isolated scene in my head where Littlefoot muses that if Mama Longneck survived, he mightn’t have been as close to his grandparents and wouldn’t be as brokenhearted when they pass on.

I don't know about that. Children don't often think about the upcoming deaths of their loved ones and in Littlefoot's case, I don't think he's even willing to accept that possibility after what he went through. And at the very least he wouldn't question his bond with them after all they've done for him. Certain conflicts about his mother's death are surely present within Littlefoot but I don't see him drawing his grandparents too intensely into them.

Also, my 1000th post!

[Littlefoot505]

I think Littlefoot was definitely closest with his mother by far. However, I do think his grandparents probably helped out a little bit off camera, as Littlefoot was his family's last hope for the future, so I'm sure the whole family did what they could to keep from losing their precious Littlefoot. I think that Littlefoot and his grandparents probably had a little bit of a bond, albeit nothing like the one between him and his mother, and that it got strengthened by the fact that they were the closest facsimile to his mother that was still alive and not with another herd like Bron was.

As for Dave's second question, I think both were major factors at first. I think Littefoot's grandparents were probably worried as hell about both Littlefoot and Mama Longneck while they were apart, and that Littlefoot arriving safely in the Great Valley softened the blow both in the sense of him being their beloved grandson and him being a living memory of their daughter, and that it was a good bit of both of those. I do agree with what Dave said about how Littlefoot most likely did grow to be more of their 'beloved Littlefoot' and less of 'a living piece of their beloved daughter' as Mama Longneck's death became more of a distant memory and less of a fresh occurrence.

This kinda begs a question that I personally don't like to think about too hard: what if it was reverse and Littlefoot's mother was the one who made it to the Valley while Littlefoot was the one who died along the way? How would his grandparents have felt?

Here are my two cents on that last question: I think that even though the bond between Littlefoot and his grandparents wasn't nearly as strong as the one between Littlefoot and his mother, his grandparents would've been pretty shocked. Even though they hadn't raised Littlefoot as their own, they would have lost their family's only hope for the future, and again, I think they always inherently had a bond between them, and that he was always their 'beloved Littlefoot' to some extent.

[DaveTheAnalyzer]

However, for their actual, personal bond, I'm not really sure. Grandpa and Grandma never answered Littlefoot's questions and after his birth, they didn't ever look close to him. Could it be that they helped his mother when he was a baby but for some reason their relationship grew colder the older he got while still preserving some dear memories of his early days, just enough for everyone to embrace each other again in the Valley? :unsure:

I don’t think the grandparents grew cold with Littlefoot. I believe they were warm with him throughout. It’s more that, since their daughter was Littlefoot’s primary parent, they didn’t believe they should interfere with her decisions, both to respect her and give her space to learn how to do this mother thing. If your now grownup daughter has a child, it would be ideal not to cut in too much or control how she parents. They probably supported her and nurtured Littlefoot but allowed her to take the parenting lead.

Your second point, however, brings a morbid question to my mind. How deeply the grandparents missed Littlefoot before he returned to the Valley? Their love and relief is apparent at the end of the film but were they completely heartbroken by his absence during their journey and first days in the Valley? If he was just someone who they had looked after when he was little but never truly taught, was his absence only a small additional pain to the loss of their daughter?

I think when they traveled to the valley not knowing Littlefoot and their daughter’s fate, they missed both of them equally, Mama Longneck for being their daughter who they raised and stayed with even in her adulthood, Littlefoot for being a sweet child who was taken too soon and didn’t get to reach adulthood. They probably didn’t want to weigh who they would miss more. I did have a little scene in my head where Littlefoot asked if only he or his mother could have survived, who would they have preferred to come back and the grandparents preferred not to linger in those kinds of grim thoughts.

when he comes back,do they see him as their beloved grandson or as just a living memory of their daughter, as you said. I'd probably say they love him as their only surviving family but their completely personal, intimate bond him was rather weak and thus, they started to parent him because it was their duty to their family and daughter. They loved him all along, obviously with increasing amounts in the films, but it started with normal "family love" and then grew into an actual personal, deep bond that we see today.

Yeah, that sounds about right. As I said, they took him back in both because their daughter would have wanted them to and they cared for him personally, even if they mightn’t have been close to him. As time goes on, the latter reason becomes more important as they care for him.

I don't know about that. Children don't often think about the upcoming deaths of their loved ones and in Littlefoot's case, I don't think he's even willing to accept that possibility after what he went through.

Eh. Well, Littlefoot has been shown to overthink about big matters more than once, so depending on the circumstance, I could see it. With that imaginary scenario, I was thinking it would come about under a context where he appreciates his grandparents’ kindness after some difficult times, how close he is to them, and that spirals his mind into those thoughts I described.

This kinda begs a question that I personally don't like to think about too hard: what if it was reverse and Littlefoot's mother was the one who made it to the Valley while Littlefoot was the one who died along the way? How would his grandparents have felt?

   
Yeah, the grandparents would be shocked and mournful. They mightn’t have been close to Littlefoot at that point but there was still a bound as you said and there would be mourning. I do wonder if some guilty part of them might have been relieved that at least their daughter survived. At least they would’ve still had her (And there’s the hope she could find another mate and have more children).

[Ducky123]

I never had any doubts in their love. Just because they didn't get any screentime in LBT 1 doesn't mean they didn't love Littlefoot.

[Sovereign]

I think when they traveled to the valley not knowing Littlefoot and their daughter’s fate, they missed both of them equally, Mama Longneck for being their daughter who they raised and stayed with even in her adulthood, Littlefoot for being a sweet child who was taken too soon and didn’t get to reach adulthood.

Yeah, my earlier comments about Littlefoot being a small "side issue" to his grandparents were pretty exaggerated.  I still think their relationship wasn't nearly as close as Littlefoot and his mother's and that perhaps Grandpa and Grandma might have grown further way from him as he aged but I never said they had grew "cold" towards him. More likely they were a bit more distant to him than they would have liked but I see them still loving him very much. Now that I've rethought about it, I agree that the Grandparents were equally as broken by their daughter's and grandson's "loss" during their time waiting for him in the Valley. After all, simply discarding their grandchild with whom they spent five years doesn't sound like the characters we know.

[DaveTheAnalyzer]

@Ducky123 Yeah, I never doubted their love for him either. I’m interested in how that love changed and developed when they became his primary caretakers.

@Sovereign Ah, that makes sense. It can be hard for me to read ton at times, especially online. Yeah, there would be some distance as they let their daughter be the primary caretaker.

I do wonder how the grandparents reacted to the friends Littlefoot made on his journey. Though Mr. Threehorn made his disapproval clear, and even Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer showed brief glimmers of similar emotions, the grandparents didn’t appear to show any of those things. They seemed supportive he made friends who make him happy. Granted, they presumably taught Mama Longneck on how herds were different and separate but I’m under the impression it was more about talking about the way things are than any expression of approval or prejudice. Even Mama Longneck spoke with the tone of “Meh, this is a bull-pucky status quo but what can you do about it?” I surmise the grandparents cheerfully went along with the herd integrations when they happened and so had no objections to Littlefoot’s friends when they learned about them.

[Dr. Rex]

This is quite interesting. I think I'll chime in with my two cents.

Like everyone else, I think Littlefoot's grandparents helped out their daughter in raising her child, but their bond with Littlefoot was initially just like any bond between a grandparent and grandchild: love but more full of respect based on the fact that they were elders (poorly worded, I know). Honestly, I think they were not as suited to raise Littlefoot at the time because they were so old already. I can't imagine the much older dinosaurs directly supervising the growth of hatchlings. Nowadays, it probably takes a lot of energy out of them to keep track of Littlefoot in the Great Valley. (Maybe Littlefoot should start thinking about how his adventures are pretty much draining his grandparents' energy.)

Honestly, I feel like the first film should've delved a little more into Littlefoot's grandparents. It would've been very interesting to see how they were like during that time, and what their interactions with their daughter were like.

[Gentle Sharptooth]

My observation is that Grandpa and Grandma Longneck view Littlefoot as an adopted son and love him deeply. While intially they may have took the roles of parents due to familia obligation after Little Foot’s Mom perished, I genuinely believe its always been 99.99% affection free of obilgation for their grandson. I believe Grandpa and Grandma Longneck’s bond is so strong, we see what happened in LBTIV when it was threatened by Grandpa’s illness.

[somerandomfangirl]

I think it may have been different for each grandparent.

Obviously with their limited screen time in the first film, probably because they wanted to focus on Littlefoot's close relationship with his mother before ripping our hearts to shreds with her untimely demise, the relationship between him and his grandparents at this time is open to a lot of speculation.

Grandparents do typically spoil their grandkids whilst the parents are in charge of caregiving as well as discipline. But most of the time the grandkids don't live with the grandparents. Littlefoot has always had Grandma and Grandpa Longneck in his presence full time, so I'd say they were always close, and they probably did step in with helping Mama out if she needed them to. It's heavily implied that he's the last of their legacy, after all, so I'd say they were always pretty protective of him, too.  But I'd also say the bond was different with each grandparent.

Grandpa was always Littlefoot's father figure. Bron may be in the picture now, but I'd say if Littlefoot had to get some advice about something, his grandpa would be the first port of call. I'd imagine that, while he left most of the actual caregiving to Mama, he would tell Littlefoot bedtime stories and give him helpful advice, much like he does in the sequels. I don't think much would have changed between the two, save for Grandpa doing more of the caregiving, after Mama Longneck's death.

The biggest shift in dynamic would be between Littlefoot and Grandma, since she didn't start off being his mother figure but had to become it later on. I can imagine Grandma being more laid back originally, perhaps stealing Littlefoot for grandma cuddles, singing him lullabies, and, if the environment of the first film allowed it, sneaking him extra special food behind her daughter's back. But when Mama passed away, she had to step into her daughter's shoes and probably took over most of what Mama was doing. If you look at the sequels, she's the one setting the bedtime routine, sorting out his baths, etc. I wonder if Grandma and Littlefoot struggled with this shift, both having to deal with their grief of losing Mama Longneck whilst Grandma had to step in to do most of what Mama had done before.

Both grandparents would have had to adjust since Mama Longneck was probably doing most of the parenting work, but I'd say Grandma faced the bigger change with her relationship with Littlefoot. Their love never changed, but how they expressed it had to when they became Littlefoot's primary caretakers. That's my take on it anyway. 

Honestly, I feel like the first film should've delved a little more into Littlefoot's grandparents. It would've been very interesting to see how they were like during that time, and what their interactions with their daughter were like.

Agreed. I think it would have made the ending more rewarding too, if we had seen Littlefoot interacting with his grandparents and it showed just how strong their bond was.

[Dr. Rex]

I think it may have been different for each grandparent.

Obviously with their limited screen time in the first film, probably because they wanted to focus on Littlefoot's close relationship with his mother before ripping our hearts to shreds with her untimely demise, the relationship between him and his grandparents at this time is open to a lot of speculation.

Grandparents do typically spoil their grandkids whilst the parents are in charge of caregiving as well as discipline. But most of the time the grandkids don't live with the grandparents. Littlefoot has always had Grandma and Grandpa Longneck in his presence full time, so I'd say they were always close, and they probably did step in with helping Mama out if she needed them to. It's heavily implied that he's the last of their legacy, after all, so I'd say they were always pretty protective of him, too.  But I'd also say the bond was different with each grandparent.

Grandpa was always Littlefoot's father figure. Bron may be in the picture now, but I'd say if Littlefoot had to get some advice about something, his grandpa would be the first port of call. I'd imagine that, while he left most of the actual caregiving to Mama, he would tell Littlefoot bedtime stories and give him helpful advice, much like he does in the sequels. I don't think much would have changed between the two, save for Grandpa doing more of the caregiving, after Mama Longneck's death.

The biggest shift in dynamic would be between Littlefoot and Grandma, since she didn't start off being his mother figure but had to become it later on. I can imagine Grandma being more laid back originally, perhaps stealing Littlefoot for grandma cuddles, singing him lullabies, and, if the environment of the first film allowed it, sneaking him extra special food behind her daughter's back. But when Mama passed away, she had to step into her daughter's shoes and probably took over most of what Mama was doing. If you look at the sequels, she's the one setting the bedtime routine, sorting out his baths, etc. I wonder if Grandma and Littlefoot struggled with this shift, both having to deal with their grief of losing Mama Longneck whilst Grandma had to step in to do most of what Mama had done before.

Both grandparents would have had to adjust since Mama Longneck was probably doing most of the parenting work, but I'd say Grandma faced the bigger change with her relationship with Littlefoot. Their love never changed, but how they expressed it had to when they became Littlefoot's primary caretakers. That's my take on it anyway. 

Honestly, I feel like the first film should've delved a little more into Littlefoot's grandparents. It would've been very interesting to see how they were like during that time, and what their interactions with their daughter were like.

Agreed. I think it would have made the ending more rewarding too, if we had seen Littlefoot interacting with his grandparents and it showed just how strong their bond was.

That's a very insightful response. Your insights on Grandma in particular make me wish we focused on her relationship with Littlefoot more. It would've been something really emotional and complex to see.