You’d think with dad’s parents visiting us for the summer, mom would be nervous and on her best behavior, playing the part of a well-dressed Zee TV soap bahu to perfection.
But the woman’s genuine, if nothing else, and also a bad actress - so she treats her in-laws with the same informality she reserves for her parents. In other words, grandma cooks and mom eats; grandpa walks me and mom sleeps in; and the grandparents mind the children all day while mom shoots e-mail and writes mindless memos at work.
Dutiful daughter-in-law that she is, mom promptly surrendered the kitchen to grandma the day she arrived. She threw open her pantry, the refrigerator and cupboards, brought out spices from storage, and asked grandma to unleash her culinary creativity.
A superlative cook, grandma can whip up fare for a party of two or twenty in roughly the time it takes mom to peel one onion.
Not wanting to disrupt grandma's well-oiled rhythm, mom stays away from the food preparation area, salivating instead in anticipation, as aromas fill every nook and cranny of the house.
She assuages pinpricks of guilt by consoling herself that grandma would be bored without kitchen duties, and grandpa would be equally frustrated if he couldn't brew his own coffee or wipe the kitchen countertops to his liking.
With the arrival of grandparents, not only has mom’s domestic workload reduced by three-quarters, but the children have found new principal pals, as well. Mom heaves a huge sigh of relief when the kids bypass her and run to grandma for imaginary bruises and rumbling tummies. The little ones still need mom for chauffeuring and arranging play dates, but grandma and grandpa bear the brunt of temper tantrums and hourly arguments over ESPN or the Disney channel.
As if holding down the fort weren't enough, dad's parents are also the kind of people who keep their opinions to themselves. They do not comment on mom lolling around in shorts, her erratic sleep patterns, dubious choice in movies, religious indolence or even her missing mangalsutra.
“How did you get so lucky?” envious cousins often ask her.
Mom has no idea.
She shrugs and reaches out to knock on wood instead.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Senior Sampats
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25 comments:
ROTFL! So well written!
Mom is oh-so-blessed, Terri. But was it a smart idea to write about them? Did you think of the evil eyes that may be cast on mom and grandparents?
Perhaps you could ask Gramps to do the drishti kazikkara routine for the family.
harini, thank you.
lakshmi, this set of grandparents doesn't believe in drishti. And I had to write about them because I could never say all this to their face.
well, grandma is such a dear. she even gave a shocked smile when my dad commented on her kozhumbu with his newly learned american jargon "your kozhumbu is BAD!!!!!!"
as for coming back... :) :)
Whatever! Hmph!
boo, i second that :)
-atgc
Some people just have it all eh? :)
Hehehehhe, mom sounds more and more like moi with every post, Terri, and down to the great in-laws, thank goodness! When I stay at my in-laws, I get treated like queen bee instead of slaving bahu, with ma-in-law lovingly asking what I'd like to eat and pa-in-law happily talking politics with me and taking Raina for walks when I need to nap :))) Looking forward to having them visit (and cook, my v. preggie belly's salivating in anticipation) for the delivery in October!
A, I’m sure she won’t hold it against him when we meet next. I’ll tell her to make kadhi instead.
Boo, atgc, it sounds like you’re glad you live saat samundar paar ;) Boo, I demand a post on the real story.
Atgc, weren’t you pregnant with the second child the last time you stopped by? Are you back at work now? I hope the labor and delivery went smoothly.
Rads, actually mom needs a nose job and some weight trimmed off her tummy; perhaps a new kitchen and hardwood floors upstairs, travertine in the bathroom, fresh paint in the bedrooms; a new wardrobe; a trip to India; a farm or beach house; an editorial, telecommuting position that’s part-time but pays as much or more than her current job; a lot more romance and occasional non-sexual contact from dad – then she’d really have it all!
muser, glad to know mom's not in the minority. She was starting to feel a little insecure.
Hi Terri- Can I borrow the grandparents?? PLEASE
terri:
"glad to know mom's not in the minority"
please remind mom that, on an average, venus was inhabited by more or less half of all humankind - slightly more than half of certain nationalities (specifics escape me) and slightly less than half of others (china, india etc.).
"a lot more romance and occasional non-sexual contact from dad"
this here looks like all the more reason why someone needs to sponsor mom to a billary* fundraiser - once she is out of there, she will have the most politically correct definition of a kiss and when it is sexual! no points for guessing that i (continue to) side with dad on this issue.
it is always a guessing game - when i read blogs - as to who knows who's "b&m"** version. here, the sherlock holmes in me says that it appears that the azgang is/was comprised - among others - of ara, atgc and terri (and their families). in chandler maybe?
a muser:
i thought there was/is a big difference in food options - or is that glossed over?
mint chutney:
what role do you want the good folks to play? are you sure you want to borrow them as grandparents not as in-laws?!!
- s.b.
* = if you can have brangelina, why not billary?
** = brick and mortar (i definitely need to say this, lest you all should hop to some weird conclusions)
mint, I didn't think you were that desperate. You have parents nearby; you're covered.
s.b., I had to read your comment at least three times to understand, but some of the specifics still escape me. Paragraph 1, for example.
Para 2 sounds like a true Martian characteristic. I don't know why you guys balk at the extra effort.
Para 3 - do you want me to provide you with my major cross streets in case you're thinking of inviting yourself for dinner? Better do it when grandma's here; you know what mom's rasam tastes like.
Thanks for providing the "b&m" definition, but frankly, what a let down; my mind was veering in a completely different direction.
i confess that i pracised typing 'whose' 1000 times (not!).
i guess i went a little overboard (read fell off the ship - and can't get up) on that venutians vs. martians comment.
"do you want me to provide you with my major cross streets in case you're thinking of inviting yourself for dinner? Better do it when grandma's here; you know what mom's rasam tastes like."
as they say, strike while the iron is hot, eh? from sujatha's, it appears that this is the latest trend (i am eager to adapt - at this point, all i need to do is paint myself appropriately).
- s.b.
Can I come for lunch?
S.B., as long as the food's good, and more importantly, I don't have to cook, I don't care whether the food is veggie or non. Plus, preggie belly doesn't much care for meat these days.
just to clarify - papa meant the kozhumbu "kicked ass" babes -- like a "mean kozhumbu" -- he loved it. we hurriedly explained to grandma what "BAD" meant - the way papa meant it ;)
the whole scene was hilarious nevertheless.
;)a
ara:
here is a funnier definition, though i am sure papa would still go with his own definition!
- s.b.
What terri, did you somehow get into my house (which is minus any kids) and meet my in-laws? It has never gleamed or sparkled or been ironed out as much - even when brand spanking new. I'm just getting fatter and lazier...
thot this was an NC-17 blog?
I guess I should give someone who is pushing 11 (or is already 11?) and has a penchant for sniffing crotches more credit..You do have a good memory. Yes, I did have my second one way back in December..L&D went great thanks...and in our case , the hubby's name choice ended up being the middle name :)
-atgc
Gasp! I'm gonna tell Ekta Kapoor!
Lolz, Mom really did luck out. But from the sounds of it, so did her parents in law :)
One would think with grandparents taking over all the real work about the house, mom would have more time to blog ! Hmph...Or is mom busily adding pounds to her middle pigging out on grandma's goodies ?
Mg, yes, provided you don’t mind being licked to death.
Ara, yes, yes, I remember, but the next time you get kadhi, nevertheless.
30, I presume then that the in-laws aren’t after your case to hurry up in the baby department either?
Anon, sorry, was this post too G-rated for you?
Atgc, of course I remember. I have an elephant-like memory for certain things.
lakshmi, mom's busy adding pounds in New Orleans while on a conference.
amrita, no, only mom lucked out, and the in-laws will agree with you.
I'll go with Boo... humph.
mad momma, don't know about the others (they haven't said much on the subject), but I'll accept your comment as legit.
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