WOMEN OF THE HOUSE
‘We bicker like crazy, but we also laugh a lot more’
Lita Tagas, 72, was accustomed to having the run of the house while her daughter, Esterlita Tagas Beja, 45, and 24-year-old granddaughter, Eris Doble, worked in Manhattan as a child-care consultant and a marketing associate, respectively.
The three women have lived under the same roof with Esterlita’s husband, Americo, 51, and 15-y earold son, Ethan, ever since Lita immigrated to Queens from her native Philippines five years ago.
Since the lockdown has led to Esterlita no longer going into her job and Eris unfortunately losing hers, the family’s quarters have gotten a lot closer.
“I am unhappy sometimes because I can’t go anywhere,” Lita tells The Post.
That said, the trio are blessed with a backyard where they have been bonding over planting seeds for tomatoes and green beans.
But even that has led to occasional bickering, with Esterlita, a nanny guru at Kids and Kaboodles, revealing they had a silly argument over “cheating” with starter soil the other day.
“My mom is very old-school and was saying, ‘This isn’t how we do it in the old country,’ ” she says. “We have to jokingly point out that things are very different in America and have a good laugh about that.”
As well as finding humor in what could be considered difficult circumstances, the quarantine has been a prime opportunity to slow down.
“It’s actually been so nice talking to each other more — to laugh, to cook traditional meals and sit out in the garden,” Eris says.