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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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Don’t steal all the credit
Having two children who are completely unlike each other in every possible way, teaches you a lot about life. I realized one big learning today and wanted to share it with mothers who are too hard on themselves. Having brought up two kids almost the same way and yet seeing them worlds apart, tells me that there is only so much that upbringing has to do with health, eating habits, and temperament of a child. The most important factor that is responsible behind them being the way they are is the fact that “they are who they are”. As a mother, if you blame yourself for their poor health or…
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Protection begins at Home
As soon as the summer holidays started, my twelve year daughter took her first independent flight to Delhi to meet her Nani. Needless to say, I consider this as a big milestone for all of us. Her maiden, independent flight is a sign that our little bird is ready to fly out of our safe nest. I was scared, nervous, apprehensive but most of all extremely proud of her. A few of our friends and family who knew about the flight were skeptical. Isn’t she too young? Isn’t the world a bad place for little girls travelling alone? Are you not being an irresponsible parent? These are good questions…
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Feed, Love, Pray
The relationship between Food and Love runs very deep in India. If you love someone, you take them out to fancy restaurants. When you want to make up for a fight, you cook something special for your love. When you want to pamper yourself, you binge on food you love (not necessarily food which is good for you). Food is such an important part of our lifestyle that I sometimes wonder about the adage, “We live to eat or we eat to live”. This love for food or rather the love to feed can be observed at its peak in a mother and child relationship. I agree that during pregnancy…
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Topic of Debate – Peeing in Public Spaces should be allowed
I am not sure if it is just me or the complete air around us which feels extremely heavy. The Delhi smog seems lighter in comparison to the weight bogging our planet, thanks to the new elected President of USA. Given this context, the last thing I wanted to do was write another blog about Trump. I thought it might be a refreshing change to start a debate, which was completely unrelated to American Politics. So here goes, “Peeing in Public Spaces should be allowed, says the mother of three year old boy.” The story behind my stand on the topic. We have a big school in the adjacent lane of…
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Scissors are dangerous in the hands of kids, but not in the way you think
A few years ago, I was enjoying some lighthearted conversations with a women acquaintances over dinner. When we first sat down at the table, conversation was limited to business, musical events, and latest shopping sales. As we twirled the wine glasses and picked on soft, juicy kebabs, conversation shifted to children. One of the women was a blogger, like me, so I hung on to each word that she said ( For some reason, I have this perception that people who blog are always more clear in their heads.) She had two daughters, one of whom had just entered her teens. Her pain was, therefore, the strongest and just waiting to flow in front…
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Possibilities for a Mother
10 years of being a working mother has taught me that: It is possible to get a quick nap in the middle of a tornado It is possible to complete school projects at 11 PM in the night It is possible to participate in conference calls and put kids to sleep at the same time It is possible to miss your maid more than you can ever miss your husband More important than all of the above, I have learned that It is possible to believe in yourself It is possible to be completely responsible for another human being It is possible to experience miracles around you every single day,…
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Luck vs. Passion
As I stepped out for my evening walk today, one of the neighbors, a small, petite woman having little kids of her own, casually greeted me. She noticed my walking shoes and my headphones and instantly said, “Wow! You are so lucky that you manage to go out for a regular evening walk!” On normal days, I wouldn’t have even stopped to acknowledge such comments. But today, for some reason, I stopped, smiled and said, “I make time for walking. It is my way of retaining my sanity!” With that I pushed on pressing the hard gray road beneath the soles of my shoes. I don’t know why it was…
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Goal in Life
A friend asked me a few years ago, “What do you want to achieve in your life?” My instant answer was, “My goal in life is to ensure my children grow up to be healthy and happy!”. My friend was considerably shocked, “That’s it!?! Isn’t there anything that you wish you could achieve for yourself?” I debated that being a mother was the most important thing for me. If I could do it well, that is all that I ever could want in life. I am sure there are a lot of mothers who feel the same way. No matter whether we are house wives or successful career women, children are the…
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Just when a woman thinks her work is done…
There is a magnet on the refrigerator door in my mothers kitchen. It reads: “Just when a woman thinks her work is done, she becomes a grandmother!” Whenever I visit my mother, I take a moment to stand in front of that magnet and smile to myself. Like my mother and perhaps like all other mothers out there, I secretly harbor the belief that I will not go down this path. I will only hold myself responsible for my children till they grow up and settle down. Then, I will leave them to fend their own battles and I will go out holidaying with my husband in the white sands of Hawaii. From that point on,…
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