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Maternal Grandparents

As I write this post, at 4 in the morning, my father in law is desperately trying to put our 3 month old daughter to sleep. He is the only other man in her life right now; other than me of course. Sometimes, she is more comfortable with him than with me. Similarly, she is comfortable with my mother in law. This got me thinking about my childhood. How was it with me? My maternal grandfather wasn't alive when I was born, so I don't have any memories of him. But I definitely remember my mother's mother. Then I realised that especially in India, most people have more attachment towards their maternal grandparents than the other set of grandparents. This is mostly true in case of nuclear families where grandparents are not staying with you.
In my opinion this has it's roots in the tradition where an Indian lady stays with her parents during the delivery. Not only does the child hear the mother's parents while in the womb, but is handled by them right after birth. Most of the time the maternal grandparents even accompany their daughter to her home to help her get accustomed. Those sleepless nights, those oil massages, the bathing sessions and all the play and laughter creates a life long bond between the maternal grandparents and the child. The father's parents can trump this only in a joint family by being with you for the rest of your life.
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Location: Koti Main Rd, Koti, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Comments

Kapil said…
I am one of the luckier ones - born in a joint family and maternal grandparents live in the same town. A short bicycle ride would take me from one "apple of my eye"place to another :-)
And both the grandparents have influenced my life in a very nice way - they still do.
As a young child who has only love to give, I can totally understand what your daughter must be feeling right now.
God bless her :-)
7:02 am
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