Grandma's happiness

Little Ha My blurted out after taking a few spoonfuls of soup.

I was a little surprised and a little confused. It had been almost a month since my daughter and son-in-law went to Bien Hoa for work. I had been trying to think of a menu for my two growing granddaughters. However, the frank and unhesitant comments from my younger sister made me sad.

About to turn seventy, the age that has passed through the time of being a daughter-in-law, a wife, a mother, and many days of carrying a basket to the market, picking up and putting down vegetables and fish… I myself am not a bad cook. The proof of my “housekeeping” work is that my mother-in-law, husband and children have never once criticized the dishes I cook. But now, with their parents away from home from Monday morning to Friday afternoon, I am forced to return to “being a mother” to two beautiful princesses. Suddenly, I am under “horizontal pressure” because whatever I cook, my children criticize. Ha Anh, a fifth grader, seems to be more understanding, she eats less of the dishes she doesn’t like and doesn’t say anything; as for Ha My, a first grader, she speaks frankly and openly about any dishes she doesn’t like, making me confused and feel as if I am at fault…

So, like a new bride coming to her husband's house, I asked the children's parents carefully about their eating preferences, about how to prepare some dishes that the children often eat at home; at the same time, I went online to learn how to prepare many different dishes to change the menu, calculating how to have enough nutrients and variety to help the children eat well without worrying about being overweight or obese, because they are quite chubby.

It has been a long time since I had to cook because my daughter-in-law is good at her job. Now that I am back at my daughter's house, I feel quite pressured, from keeping track of the time to pick up and drop off the children, to thinking about what to cook, how to prepare it to make it delicious for the children, and when the children eat, I always pay attention to see if they like it, if they finish their portion, if they praise or criticize it so that I can adjust... The school sends the menu to the parents and from there I will feed the children without overlapping with the lunch they ate at school, which the children really like.

During meals, I often ask the children what they eat for lunch at school, if it is delicious, they both confide, saying that at school there are more delicious dishes, eating with friends is more fun. And thanks to the current digital literacy program, my grandmother knows how to go online to learn how to cook the children's favorite dishes.

So, a seemingly simple task took up all my time in a day. The group of retired friends, the health club, the art troupe… were all temporarily… pushed aside by me. All my mind was focused on taking care of the children’s meals, picking them up and dropping them off, and tutoring them in their studies. When taking them to the school gate, I always followed their instructions: Grandma must stop the car outside the line. The children were very innocent but conscious and were taught a lot by their teachers. I felt very happy when I saw the innovation of education today and the daily progress of my children and grandchildren.

Last Friday afternoon, while I was busy watering the amaranth plants next to the house, my son-in-law spoke up:

We've been away from home all week. Let's go out and get something to eat later, Mom!

Before I could answer, Ha Anh chattered on:

Let's eat at home, Dad. I saw Grandma bought a lot of food. She said she would cook for the whole family this weekend.

Little Ha My continued her sister:

- Grandma has a delicious pumpkin soup with coconut water!

- Sweet and sour ribs, stuffed tofu, many dishes grandma makes are better than mom's!

My daughter and son-in-law were surprised, because just last week they complained about my grandmother. I was also surprised by the praise they gave me, something I had never seen before in my dreams.

The weekend evenings had all the members making the meal more crowded and delicious. I was so happy that I forgot to eat, just sitting there watching my children and grandchildren eating and chatting away. I was so happy, I felt like I was floating in that wonderful feeling forever. That happiness overflowed in the eyes and smiles of my daughter and son-in-law, in the cheerful and carefree chatter of my two little grandchildren.

That happiness is so simple, so ordinary. The feeling of pressure when forced to "become a mother" at the age of 67 has disappeared. I feel that although I am quite old, I am still healthy, still clear-minded, still able to help my children and grandchildren, helping them feel secure in their work is very happy. Every day I get to take my grandchildren to school, go to the market and cook, I feel that I am useful, still valuable, still able to support my children and grandchildren. That is all the happiness of a grandmother like me.

Comment (0)