Why does every child need a Grandparent?
Two big hands to hold me tight,
Two warm eyes with love inside.
A heart made of pure gold
That’s my grandparent, for sure!
Loving, caring, and so much more,
To me they are a perfect score.
YESSS! IT’S ABSOLUTELY TRUE!
A Grandparent is loving, caring, giving, generous, and unique and so much more.
Grandparents look at life with a distinct prism in hand. The grey in their hair, suits them. The sugar in their tone is so real. Their caring ways are genuine and their wallet is always full to meet a new demand, however unreasonable it may seem!
Every child needs and deserves a loving grandparent. To laugh at crazy pranks, to brush aside naughtiness, to bring a whole new perspective to life and to share bedtime stories from the days gone by, there’s so much and more which just grandparents can do!
My earliest memories are spending long summer breaks at my Grandparents. The day school closed for its annual summer break, we packed our bags and boarded a train. Two days later, even as I looked outside the train window continually, crossing a gazillion towns and little villages, the train eventually made her way into my maternal home town. My Grandfather was always there to pick us up at the station, bang on time, late in the night!
Every summer break was an adventure with my grandparents. There were ten of us cousins, children in all shapes and sizes and a long arduous Indian summer! My Grandfather knew how busy mornings can get especially for the women at home with twenty mouths to feed. So he would call all of us into his room each morning. There we spent an entire hour with him. Duties were assigned to each one of us. Two cousins were in charge of getting stuff ready for his shave, he preferred to sit on a chair, in front of a mirror and shave each morning. Three were in charge of filling water at the exact temperature for his bath and keep all bath supplies handy. Grandpa gave a bath himself to the little cousins. It was an elaborate affair filled up with bubbles, splashes, songs and more! Then came the fun part. Our efforts were rewarded. He opened his big cupboard and pulled out four tall boxes made from glass. There were dry fruits, candies, nuts and some other tasty stuff that I don’t recollect now. We stood patiently in a queue. Grandpa opened his shop and each of us could pick a goody. Simple and fair! Next we attacked the dining table for breakfast. He made sure each of us sat and ate the first meal of the day with him. Needless to say, when we were done, the table wore a tsunami-stricken look! From here on my Grandmother took over. We went into her pooja room, a room meant for prayer. She had an elaborate set up devoted to Lord Krishna. We played, ate, strung flowers to make a garland, and helped her roll out round puris and peel peas and then run into the lawn overlooking the room. The summer flew by effortlessly, at least for us kids.
In hindsight I understand there’s so much I learnt from my grandparents:
· They taught me to value the little pleasures in life, the simple joys that are often overlooked
· They inculcated in me the discipline and importance of a routine and a well- organized morning for a stress- free day
· They taught me the value of food and the hands that make them too
· They showed how one can smile, even in the face of adversity
· They displayed how love is often all that we need to bond and stay connected
· Above all they gave me memories, which I cherish to this day.
Do share the times you have spent with your grandparents in the comments below. Go down memory lane and cherish your childhood while there!
