Whatever people tell you about sibling rivalries, they will always feel healthier compared to the intense conflicts among cousins. Think about it like this—if sibling animosity is like a small regional sporting competition, the latter is the 'world cup' in this category. And it involves a lot beyond just what you think about them: what your parents feel about all the various uncles, aunts, cousins, and so on. The permutations and combinations of feelings are on a wide spectrum, ranging from cool to annoying. In that case, who decides the winner? Well, that could have been complicated had it not been for our grandparents—the closest to an unbiased judge, given they must (ideally) love all their children and grandchildren equally. And like every spirited competitor, I do my bit to play to the judges. This is a challenging task, mind you. Grandparents may seem like the scoldings-free version of your parents. But as benefits with them compound, so do some challenges. With my grandfather, the biggest compounding issue is a classic one: helping him secure his online interactions. He is open—not averse to learning and engaging with the rapidly-changing world. But he is from the generation when all business matters were handled over the phone. So, he is less disconcerted when callers ask him to click on a link sent to his DM and then share the OTP to get his bank KYC done. On my request, he always asks for these calls to be directed to a family member and then innocently calls us to expect the call. But online scams and defrauding activities keep getting increasingly complicated.
I hope you have a cheerful and restful Sunday with your near and dear ones. In the meantime, I have an extended family WhatsApp chat battle to return to.
