You want me to talk about my grandchildren? I don’t know…I mean I hardly get to spend any time with them. They are always playing with one another outside in our compound and garden – that we end up only taking care of their hunger pangs and the kitchen. It feels great to see them having so much fun. Their shrieks and laughter fill me with joy. And they fight with one another like crazy but will defend one another too when we shout at them.
I’ll tell you what I noticed about their food habits and traits. Maybe that will help you in some way. My youngest grandchild has this habit of calling all the family members every time we have our meal. He will pull his Dada by hand and say – Chalo Dada. Leave your phone. Come eat now. He will then call his father and sister and only then will he take his place on the dining table.
My granddaughters are sensitive to the work that we women do. Both of them will ask us how they can help us around the kitchen. They will hang the clothes out to dry, mop the floor and put away all the vegetables and fruits in the right place when we return from the market. I have to give them instructions only once. I’ll tell them to put all these food grains out in the sun at around 10 a.m. and put them back in this place at around 4 p.m. And I feel so happy that they take care of the task that I assign them without me having to remind them.
One of them is a rice eater. Like her younger brother she never used to eat vegetables when she was young. Now she has started eating them. Her younger brother needs to be coaxed to eat two spoons of vegetables every day. He will eat his rotis with Shrikhand or sauce. Nothing else. So now, when I know he is going to pay us a visit, I just make a jar full of Shrikhand and store it in the fridge. My other granddaughter is the complete opposite. She loves eating tangy chatpata food. She grasps things very quickly and can solve puzzles in no time.
My eldest grandson is a very quiet boy. His work is always neat. He will fold the clothes perfectly and put things away in the right place immediately. He eats everything – dal, rice, sabji and roti – without making a fuss. He does not eat any sweets. And is fond of besan laddoo only. He does not eat ice-creams too. He is that way right from his childhood.
They are all special in their own way. But even in my kindergarten school, I have observed so many things. Children love company. They can never stay alone for a long time. And we seniors too yearn for company. Both generations like to be cuddled, loved and cared for. So obviously all grandparents share a great rapport with their grandchildren.
You know, a baby laughs 400 times a day. And grandparents probably don’t even laugh 4 times in a day. So when we spend time with our grandchildren, we end up laughing at least 40 times a day. And children are very energetic. They love to play all kinds of games with their grandparents. You know, my knee often gives me trouble. But my youngest grandson does not understand that. He will say, “Sit Dadi. Sit down first. I want to tell you something.” I say, “I have hurt my knee. How can I sit down?” He will then say, “Sit. Just sit. Do as I say. Now.” So I look around, find a stool and sit on it. Only then will he tell me whatever he has to say.
With children around the house, these small things bring joy to our faces. They are so naïve and innocent – we always think of ways to please them. And we have great fun when we play board games with them. They don’t even realize that we allowed them to win. They start jumping around with joy and hug one another when they win against their grandpa or grandma.
But that’s not all. Just when we assume that they are mere children – naïve and innocent – they will utter words of wisdom – and say – “Speak softly Dadi. Don’t get so irritated. Don’t shout. Give and share what you have. Let it go. Forget it.”
See how their young minds are so sensitive to our pain. They help us cope with the daily challenges that we face at this age and look at it from the right perspective. Then they will bring the right bottle of oil to me and say, “Dadi, your knee is paining again, No? Apply this oil. Your pain will go gayab. Come. Sit down. Here. I will massage your knee. Is this okay? I applied the oil. Has the pain gone? Is it still paining? Here. Take this medicine now. It will not pain now. Okay?” That is not all. They will come again the next day and ask if my knee is still paining.
Such small children they all are. Yet so sensitive. That is what touches me. They like to know why I pray. I explain the meaning of God to them in simple language and ask them if they want to learn a chant. They are so curious. They will say, “You don’t know it by heart still? Why do you look into your prayer book when you say your prayers then? Oh – ok. You first teach me by looking into your prayer book. I will learn it and then I will teach it to you in the night when we sit on the swing. Okay? Teach me only one line today. I will learn the next line tomorrow…”
These small gestures of the younger children fill our days with simple joys. And as they grow up, they see us doing the chores and even offer to empty the dustbins and put the garbage in the bin properly. No job is too menial or dirty for children. They are willing to do anything. Isn’t that wonderful?
And when they are in the kitchen, they will all help us make puris or chaklis. They feel so good when their puris puff up. And they eat the food with great relish because they helped us make it. They pick up skills too very quickly at this age. They are so eager to draw rangolis or do needlework. It keeps them out of the sun for some time too. We all have TVs and phones now. We can choose to see whichever serial we want. But they have so much fun together that they don’t even think of switching on the TV or using the phone. They will all sit down with me on the swing and listen to the stories I narrate.
My granddaughter is like me. I like to make good expressions and sounds when I narrate a story out of my imagination. And she is gifted with this trait too. She has great imagination too.
A house is incomplete without children. It must have lots of children in it. They fill the house with happiness with their roaring laughter and have the ability to bring heaven itself into our house. I hope you got the kind of story you were looking for. I have made a few notes in my diary. Use it for reference if you want to. Okay?