She could neither cook nor bake, but her husband had been fine with it. They could afford domestic help, and he was a chef par excellence.
She felt compelled to cheat in her eighties now. She ordered stuff from the nearby bakery, and messed up the kitchen to show she had been working. She longed to hear the words, “Gran, you cook so well. We’ll come again.”
Her son’s conspiratorial silence and derisive glances from the DIL did not matter. She needed approval from the lights of her life. She saw her confidence giving way to a need for love.
(100 words)
Creative Experiments and More 
Great story, Reena. As long as Gran got brownie points with her grandkids, that’s all that matters, right?
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It matters a lot to grandparents, I guess 😊
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Poignant story, Reena. The need of approval is not common to only one age group. I’m happy Gran didn’t let the DIL get to her.
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Thanks 😀
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No sugar coating even when Gran is baking I see!!!
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😊😊
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Daughter in law needs to modern up, Initially I to wondered who DIL was.
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🙂
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I’m not sure what DIL is but I feel sorry for this old lady. She can’t cook and wants approval from her grandchildren that she is a good cook.
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DIL is daughter-in-law.
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Haha! Okay, thank you!
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A sad giving in to the pressures of needing approval in today’s fast changing times. Very good story Reena.
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Thank you so much!
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She cooked the books for brownie points, Reena?
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Brownie points in the eyes of her grandkids 🙂
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