You take the child from the grandparents. You barely see him coming towards you with a big smile and you realize it. A trace of chocolate in the corner of the mouth betrays the latest “forbidden” snack. You don't even get to remind him of the “no chocolate in the evening” rule when you hear the reply prepared ahead of time: “Buni says you're too strict!”. You laugh, but it's not your laugh. The child doesn't say it maliciously, just with the innocence of a cripple who has found “an ally”. You smile at him, but frustration builds up, for the umpteenth time lately!? It's not the first time your rules have been broken. And not the first time when the parent's authority over the child becomes a topic of conversation in your absence.
In Romania, and not only, grandparents are a real institution. I am the salvation. They are the support without which many parents could not survive. And most of the time, they really are awesome. But there are also situations where this relationship is not only about love, but about influence. About who decides and who is more important. About who has the last word in front of the grandchild/child. And it's not about disparate situations, but about a state of affairs. About grandparents' repetitive behaviors that create confusion in the child's mind. And parents are always left frustrated and exhausted.
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