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The Hockey Stick – Lessons on Physical Aggression
Yog runs to me with urgency and purpose in his stride, his chubby legs trying to keep pace with the thoughts running in his mind. Concern is evident all over his red face. I am certain he has a very important matter to discuss with me. Huffing, he exclaims, “Big boys are beating small children on the road. I told them to stop but they are not listening.” I sigh. Not again. Why do boys fight? Calmly, I tell Yog, “You did a good thing by telling them not to fight. I am happy that you didn’t get into the fight, yourself.” Yog’s expression quickly changed from concern to frustration.…
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World of No Lies
We are all guilty of lying. Sometimes we lie for the good of others, like when I crush Flax seeds inside a fruit smoothie and completely deny it when the children ask. Sometimes we lie for our own good, like when Pavan and I go for a date telling the kids we are off to a business meeting. Yes, we could convince them that Mama Papa need time, etc, etc, but sometimes it is just simpler and faster to lie. No one remembers the exact date or year they learnt to lie. In my experience of bringing up children and seeing nephews and nieces grow, I think by age 5…
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RIP Green Paint Bottle
Below is a snapshot of some of the crazy things we did in the summer of 2018. RIP Green Bottle
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Why some Questions don’t have Answers
These days, the most common word ringing in our small household is “Why?” Why is it summer? Why is it cold? Why is it dinner time? Why do we need sleep? Why did Akka pinch me? Why do we have to wear uniform to school? Why don’t you wear uniform to office? Why am I growing big? Why am I not growing big faster? Why does the Sun have to go to California? Why did you cook Lauki for dinner? Why did Papa got to Egypt? Why didn’t we go to Paris? Why, Why, Why… Honestly, even though I love questions from four year old Yog, it is time taking…
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Is Dying Good for Health?
Last night, bedtime story for Yog went in a strange direction. I was telling Yog about his Grandmother, “Bamma” and how much she loved him. Yog (for the nth time): Why Bamma died? Mama: Because she was not feeling well. Yog: Is Dying good for health? Mama silent for a long time. I had no answer. Yog: Where did Bamma go? Mama: Bamma went to stay with God. Yog: God did not died Bamma? Mama again silent for a long time. We die and go to God. When we die with God, where do we go? Till date, Yogs questions have been black and white. Is Apple good for health?…
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The Two Faces of each Child
I entered home yesterday to ear piercing screams of Yog, coming somewhere from the second floor. From the quality of the scream, I could make out something was definitely wrong. I could smell Dettol as I started climbing the steps. I am proud to say that I did not panic at that moment. I do not panic at the smell of Dettol anymore. I calmly called out to Yog and his Nanny (Parvathi) came out of the room carrying the heavy weight, howling Yog in her skinny arms. I felt sympathy for her even before I could form an emotion for Yog. I immediately transferred the load from her arms…
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Why bars of dark chocolate are hidden between layers of saris in my home?
Why bars of dark chocolate are hidden between layers of saris in my home? I am pretty sure, if Sherlock Holmes was tasked to solve this mystery, he would fail. This is because Sherlock Homes never had children. I am also sure that all parents having kids between 9 to 15 years of age are nodding their heads in understanding. They know, there is no safe place in the house to hide treats. No matter where you hide them, you won’t be able to prevent them from magically disappearing in a few short hours. Every time my husband or I open the fridge to snack on something delicious and unhealthy,…
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My Brother Stole My Childhood
Some adults always remain children and some children grow up into adult hood even before they have been properly potty trained . I think the speed at which we grow mentally has a lot to do with one, our basic nature and two, the environment around us. A very important factor in the environment is the presence or absence of siblings. I learnt this through two independent events, few days back. Yog recently changed schools and I wrote about how traumatic the first day experience was for him and me. What I did not write about then, was another story that unfolded the same day as Yog and me tried to…
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Helmet Keeps Us Safe
Yog has been riding a pink, baby, Disney cycle over the last year. Neither the pink color, nor the Disney Princesses bothered him or his friends, even for a moment. At one point of time, the pink cycle used to proudly carry three young boys on it’s miniature wheels. As Yog enters another year, and the wheels of the cycle start to wear, I finally decided it was time to retire the pink cycle and move to a new one. The new cycle is bigger, bolder and blue in color with shining silver balances on the side. It looked just right for Yog but I was worried that he might hurt…
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Some Jarlie is better than no Jarlie
Yog and me achieved a new development milestone on a trip to the Supermarket, few days ago. We dedicate this milestone to Jarlie. This is how the story goes. Toyna, Yog and I love Jarlie. You may ask, “Who doesn’t?” but that is not the message of this story. Till date, whenever we go to a supermarket, we always pick two jars of Jarlie, to share between the three of us. On this historic day, Toyna caught one jar and Yog another, all the way till the billing counters. The two jars were the first items to be billed to ensure that we could start eating them while the rest…
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