Gooooood morning, peeps. What an amazing day it is today! Beautiful! Gorgeous! The sun is shining and the birds are chirping. Actually, that’s not true; it looks like it’s about to start pouring any second now, and the only bird I can see is this not-too-bright pigeon that keeps crashing into my bedroom window. But it sure feels like a sun-shining-bird-chirping day. Want to know why? No, online school has not been cancelled indefinitely. No, the pesky brother has not been given away to a travelling circus. No, my parents have not said yes to a second dog yet.
My grandparents are coming. Now, for those of you who live with your grandparents, that doesn’t seem like such a big deal. But, for kids like me, who see their grandparents once or twice a year, it is a pretty huge deal.
On your side always
When grandparents visit, your parents aren’t the oldest grown-ups in the house. Their parents are. Which means, technically, you don’t really have to listen to everything your parents say. You can just do what your grandparents tell you and, because they haven’t seen you in nine months, they’re going to be saying really nice things like ‘Of course, you can have ice cream for dinner!’
Speaking of dessert, when grandparents visit, it’s like living in Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory. But filled with the best Indian sweets. Gulab jamuns, badam cakes, pitchers of payasam . If I tell my mother, I feel like having something sweet, she’ll give me a bowl of watermelon. But not my paati. She’ll whip up a batch of something delicious and sticky and sweet before you know it.
Grandparents also know when to take your side — which is always! When you have your grandparents on your side, you get to stay up a little later, sleep in a little longer and skip math tuition. And your parents can’t say anything because, just like you have to listen to your parents, they have to listen to theirs.
But really, the best thing of all is that grandparents always have time for you. They’re never too tired to play UNO with you, never shoo you away from the room because they’re on a Zoom call, and are always ready to play Candy Crush or Subway Surfer. (Hey, they like old-school games okay?) And best of all? They never lecture. EVER.
I know all of this makes me sound super spoiled. But it’s just once a year, okay? And considering how awful 2020 has been so far, a little bit of spoiling is okay, if you ask me. Now, excuse me while I go make some space in my stomach for those badam cakes.
