Ever since I’ve become a grandmother, I’ve been having a lot of pee and poo on my mind. It is no wonder then that the first word that comes to mind when I think of the letter G is my grandson. The little fellow has been around for just a week over two years now and what a joy he’s been.
But before this turns into a gushing account of how cuddly and cute he is, let me warn you that I’m hardly the indulgent grandma though I’m fat and wobbly. Grandmothers today have evolved into quite a fashionable breed – the young, hip and happening grandmas who keep in touch with their grandchildren via Skype, WhatsApp and other methods that their own grandmothers hadn’t even heard of. They are fashionable and smart with their hair rinses and pedicures. They go to Yoga and salsa classes and meditate in the Himalayas. They go out with their friends for movies and lunches and hardly sit at home burping baby or cleaning up. A far cry from my own grandmother who I picture as an old woman, constantly in the kitchen stirring something or the other.
I had two grandmothers and more because in India even the grandparents’ siblings qualify as grandparents so you have Sheela (Aji) Grandma or Gopal (Ajoba) Grandpa who are not really your grandparents by direct descent but via the family tree. This makes it really confusing sometimes when the grandparent’s sibling is just a few years older than the father of the child who could qualify to be labeled an Uncle rather than be bumped up a generation.
One thing though about grandparents is that they were always indulgent. Even one of my grannies who always put her money where her mouth was and was prepared to carry out her threats had a streak of kindness in her and when she was in a good mood did manage to give me what I wanted. But by and large our grandmothers were tough as nails, women who didn’t mince words.
Grandfathers were another issue – mine were remote and quite inaccessible and I always remember we had to walk around on tiptoe and whisper when he was around. We couldn’t laugh when he passed his musical wind, nor could we shut his mouth which fell open as he snored. Quite unlike today’s grandpas who match their grandson cry for cry or jump for jump.Grandpas too can win over girls with their old worldly charm that still can appeal. They can also be miserly mean and snitch on you without the slightest remorse.
In other words grandparents of today are just older than your own parents and have changed from my own grandparents.
But grandchildren – they’ve not evolved. They’re still the same little ones who can run faster than you, who can jump right near the edge of the bed knowing your heart’s in your mouth. They scribble on your walls and scratch off the polish, they leave sticky marks on furniture and ruin your sleep. They can knock off your specs and leave you half blind. They can give you a headache with their screams and their whines and know how to wheedle their way to an ice cream, a few extra bucks, more time with their friends. Above all, they still know how easy it is to turn their grandparents’ hearts to mush with just a hint of a smile.
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Twenty- five Seven 
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