10 Reasons to Visit Grandparents

10 Reasons to Visit Grandparents, views from a grandchild and parent.

Currently we’re in Florida enjoying summer holidays at my parent’s house. It’s a tradition we started when Little Mirchi was just three months old. An extended vacation at my parents, where they get time with her and I get time with them!

Growing up my parents filled our annual summer holidays with trips to Bombay and London, they never wanted us to feel the void of being far from grandparents. I’m so grateful for their efforts, I cooked with my grandmothers, formed close bonds with my cousins and enjoyed the benefits of both sides of my family. My husband often reminisces about his summers as a child on his Nana’s khet (Grandfather’s farm) and the fun he had with cousins. As we both had childhoods filled with grandparents we knew it’s what we wanted for Little Mirchi as well. So every year we make our best efforts to make sure she gets time with both sets of grandparents, after all there’s no love like the love of a grandparent. As a grandchild I savored the days spent with my grandparents. Now as a mother I have a different view, one as a grandchild and one as a parent, and let me tell you, visits to grandparents are equally important from both set of eyes.

From the eyes of a grandchild:

1. No rules, no schedules
Nani ka ghar (Grandmothers house) means no strict schedules and no strict rules. They did the parenting thing years ago and are now in it for the fun.

2. Getting babied no matter your age
Getting fed by their hands, bedtime stories, cuddles in bed, no matter your age, you’ll always be a baby in the eyes of your grandparents.

3. Tel Malesh
Long day of doing nothing? Oh you poor thing, let’s make it even better by Nani’s warm tel malesh (oil head massage). Grandmothers hands have the magic to put us to sleep with a gentle stroke on the head.

4. Embarrassing stories about your parents
Who else knows your parents like your grandparents? No one. Grandparents will tell you embarrassing stories about your parents, so you have ammunition for the next time they tell you how they walked to school in the rain/snow/heat.

5. Time
Grandparents were busy working/being parents when your parents were young. Now they finally have more relaxed schedules which means more time for you. This means more home cooked foods, more stories and more time spent with your head in Nani’s lap hearing stories about family history.

From the eyes of a parent:

6. There is no vacation like a vacation at Moms
Give the kids to your parents, go for a spa day, no mess to come back to, no dinner to cook. It’s the one true vacation that us Moms get, a visit to our own moms house.

7. Nani ke nuskhe
Nazar utaro, remove that evil eye. Haldi Dhood/Turmeric Milk and all the other home remedies your Mom/Mother in law have up their sleeve will be revealed. Save them for later and thank heavens for generations of knowledge.

8. Instilling culture/religion effortlessly
Grandchildren are amazed by the beauty of grandparents day to day lives. They will sit with them in evening Puja (prayers), listen to fables and try on all their jewelry while dancing to the latest Bollywood number, keeping your parents young at heart. For us parents, it’s a sense of pride and relief.

9. They make the best caretakers
Who else can you trust better to take care of your kids then your own parents. Need a girls night out? A date night? Request the help of your parents, your kids won’t even notice you’re gone.

10. They will make your kids do things you can’t
Eating vegetables? Fighting a fear? Letting go of the bottle? Potty training? Grandparents have a magic way of getting grandchildren to try new things and helping with parenting hurdles.

Whatever the reason may be, time with Grandparents is precious. Savor the moments and make memories every chance you get!