The bestest friend of a daughter is most often her Dad. From the day she is born, he is the only man in her life who would never harm/hurt her, a role seconded by her brothers. Yet, for all children, baby-dom onwards, there is one special relationship which is pure love, best solace and sheer comfort zone. Yes, that is it, the grandparents.
As for parents, they, too, are first time in to that unknown territory called parenthood. Often, hence, huge expectations they have, both from the brood and their own selves. As for grandparents, they would have withered all possible seasons of that much loved trouble called childhood, their own children's, of nieces', of nephews', of their friends', and so on.
Not much bothers them as a result. Tempered by age and creaking knees, they are more tolerant, and less hell-bent on discipline. Strict they might have been with their own children. For grandchildren, they are love, affection, kindness, gentleness personified!
A most beautiful relationship it is. A grandfather, the boss in his office, can stand in a queue for a bus because the grandson loves a bus ride. Why, he can even request the conductor to allow the child to ring the bell as the kiddo loves the 'tring, tring'.
He can stand for hours near an excavation site because the bundle of joy in his arms loves the mechanical arm going up n down, digging the surface, piling up the soil. This most meaningless activity which even the machine might hate is joy for this sixty-something fellow 'coz the grandson finds it fascinating n fun!
They are generations apart. Yet they share very many activities n interests with the same joy n thrill, the bell in the temple, the running around in the garden, the daily walk to the temple, to the garden, even to the nursery school. Least concerned about who is listening to them, both are busy chatting away to glory with equal enthusiasm.
Both share the same t.v. serials, though often for differing reasons. When the grandparent misses some telecast, the kid loves recreating it in his own way, thus forging/bonding a sense of togetherness which binds them better than fevicol.
If the kid falls down, falls ill, is scolded by the over-driven parents, the go-to person is always the grandparents who are considerate, though their children might consider them (over)indulgent. The eldest and the youngest generations teach each other a lot, too, and both are ready to laugh off the mistakes.
Soon the grandchildren grow up. Their interests begin to shift gears, leaving that innocent island called childhood far far behind, while the other n better half of this equation keep on (a)waiting their return like a port to which ships no longer sail, like a sidey station where super fast trains never halt, like a beautiful ruin singing paeans to a glory, to an era long lost!
Pratima@As this is the week devoted to grandparents, especially to grannies, hence this paean to a lovely n loving relationship. Sad are the kids whose mothers consciously send them to a creche just to emotionally harass, ill-treat, and thus teach a lesson to the in-laws! Consciously cut off from a treasure trove of togetherness to which there are very few exceptions, such children develop a host of problems later.
Quote of the day: . "Grandparents have silver in hair, but sheer gold in their hearts."
Word of the day: ancestry Ancestry refers to a person’s line of descent, representing the family origin, lineage, and the ancestors (parents, grandparents, etc.) from whom follows the biological descent. It defines one’s heritage, bloodline, and inherited characteristics, often tracing back through multiple generations.
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