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Spaghetti to the Rescue
“No school today?” are the first words from Yog each morning. Even before he is out of bed, his blankets still rolled around him, he pops this question, looking expectantly at me for his desired response. I know he is already planning alternate strategies in his mind, even before he has heard my response. Deep cough from his mouth, vomit and stomach ache are few of his master cards. He knows he can call upon fever, or the bad headache from last month to his rescue as well. If none of this works, he can roll down some tears claiming trauma at school because his best friend does not like…
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Back to Basics
Being a mother is serious responsibility; one that most mothers (including me) often take a little too seriously. Mothers like me define the primary goal of Motherhood as, “Bringing up healthy and successful individuals”. Given this goal, it is pretty much impossible to measure the success rate of Motherhood. This is because there are many definitions for “Healthy” and even more definitions for “Successful”. At the start of Motherhood, when our children our barely able to hold their head by themselves, our goals for Motherhood are sky rocketing. I remember, I started with a goal of “Class Topper” when my daughter joined Nursery. Even though she did not top the…
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Conversation with Life
If Life was an exam, what would it really measure: Money and Power, or Love and Pleasure? Would it count the promotion letters or my children’s smiles? Would it worry about the school projects or the tiny hands that went to grind? Would it really pass me forward or would it fail me behind? I muse these thoughts for no reason or rhyme I laugh at life for trying to make me whine Ha ha! I say, “You cannot be an exam for sure! For I have nowhere to go if I score” “And nothing to lose if I don’t shore” I stand here today just wanting to know more…
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Welcome to the Real World
Nirbhaya in December 2012 changed the world that we live in. The outrage, in those days, was so high that it managed to break down a lot of dams that the society had carefully built over centuries. The flood that followed soaked, tumbled and rinsed the whole country pretty much like a fully automated washing machine. As an after effect of the Nirbhaya tragedy, we now have more and more men and women stepping up for women rights. We have Deepika Padukone going to the extent of suggesting that extra marital sex is fine. We have Leslee Udwin trying to show the lack of remorse in the rapist. We have a…
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First Annual Day
I remember Toynas first annual day at school. I think I was even more excited about her annual day than her. I dropped her at school at the appointed hour and then hanged around at school for the next couple of hours, just to make sure I got the front row seats. I coaxed my neighbor on the chairs to hold on to my seat, while I sneaked my way to her classroom to get some pictures of her in her dress and makeup. It seemed just the natural thing to do in those days. 6 years later, Yogs principal handed me the invitation to Yogs first annual day. I…
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One Afternoon
The afternoon clock said it was 2:30 p.m. The caller on the phone was desperate. My heart grew heavier as I listened in. Not again, not today. I just couldn’t manage to leave office today. I pacified the caller with an assurance that I would come home if the situation did not improve in the next ten minutes. I looked again at the clock in the corner of my laptop screen. It was not cooperating. It was just 2:31 p.m. There were 89 more excruciating minutes before Toyna would get home. I pushed my chair and got up from my seat. The document on the screen was no longer important. I…
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The Kiss Goodbye
Time flies by so quickly. Just a few weeks back I was writing about Yogs first day at school. Today, I am writing about how both him and me reached another set of critical milestones in our journey. Yesterday, as I dropped him at school, I was expecting him to cry his heart out, seeing me leave. Till we reached the school gate, Yog was smiling happily, sitting proudly in any arms. In my mind, I was counting seconds and preparing for the outburst. Any moment now, he would start screaming at the injustice of having to separate from his one and only biological mother. We entered his classroom and…
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Day Four at School
Day 4 at school – Although 8 days have passed since Yog started school, he barely attended school for 3 days till now. By the end of the third day at school, he was down with a bad cold and had to miss school. Yesterday was the first night after 3 straight nights that he slept peacefully. Today he seemed fresh and shining in the morning, so I tentatively broached up the topic of school. I was quite sure, he would not want to go and would cling to me, at the mention of school. Mentally and physically prepared to handle this outburst, I gently took him in my…
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First Day at School
At one and a half years of age, Yog started his first school, today. Selecting a school for him was easier than I had expected. Before I started the hunt, I was apprehensive about the outcome; not so sure if I would be able to find the right place for his budding tastes and personality. The memory of Toyna crying all the way, to her first school and clinging to me with dear life, on the way back, seemed all too fresh. When I stepped out yesterday, searching for the right school, I didn’t have too many thoughts in mind. For preparation, I just had a list of 10 schools…
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Drama Skills
Toynas school teacher told her today that she is very good in Drama. He also promised her a role in the next school drama show.I was surprised that one – it took them so long to observe this skill of hers (which I have been subject to for eternity) and two – how differently we reward a skill like Drama at school vs. at home.How I wish she didn’t have to practice Drama at home to really hone this skill!