We are a happy family

Smruthi's doodles

6-yr old question bank

Smruthi these days is literally a question bank. She starts questioning anything and everything that she sees these days. I read in some childcare website that the kids' curiosity should not be controlled, and that as parents, we should try to answer them as best as we can, and never say, 'you will learn about it when you grow up", and so on. So, I try to answer them as best as I can, to the extent my patience stands. (If only I catch hold of the person who gave this advice!)

 At the beginning, it was only at the bed-time that the questions were raised. She would lie beside me, stare at the fan, think about something, and ask me questions, like "How does the sun go down and moon comes up in the night?" I try to answer her in the simple possible ways, and all she does is derive more questions out of that, until I become technically unaware of the answer, like this: "Why is that only the earth has to revolve around the sun, why can't the sun and earth take turns to revolve around each other, so that it will be easy for both?" Yeah, right! Explaining gravity and stuff like that goes way beyond my boundary, especially at 10 in the night. (Why don't YOU make it easy for ME by sleeping soon?)

But these days, the questions have started flowing all the time, how are saris made, how does bulb glow, and on and on. Like today morning, when she was out of the bath, and I was drying her, she looks at the bed and asks "How are pillows made?". I tried to explain her how cottons are grown out of trees and are then softened and stuffed to form pillows, quickly dressed her and ran out of the room before she could ask me any more questions on that.

And then, there are these not-so-technical questions, which makes me prefer the technical ones better.

The other day she sees my deo and asks:

"Maa, why do you use this deo?"

I explain her why deodarants are used, again in as simple way as I could, to which she answers casually, "No, no, I already know why deodarants are used. What I asked was why do you THIS deo? You can use Dove, right? It will make you fairer"

What? Why? (wondering how she knew about deodarants)

"Because that's what they say in TV ads. Use Dove for lighter underarms!"

(knock-out!)

And she is not a big TV addict either. She watches only cartoon channels for less than an hour a day and the ads are mostly kids based there.

Another incident, where she keeps admiring herself in the mirror, as I clean the room, and asks:

S: Maa, shall I stay in this house itself when I grow up?

Me: Obviously, where else will you go?

S: (as though I didn't hear her properly) Maa, when I GROW UP?

Me: Yeah, so what if you grow up? You'll have to stay here only right?

S: Maa, when I become like YOU

(I get a hint at where she is coming to, and try to drag the questions, so that I need not answer)

Me: So, what if you become like me? Where will you go?

S: (frustrated at my lack of understanding) Maa, when I grow up and have my own kids, can I stay in this house even then?

As I was wondering how to answer this one, luckily Swathi entered the room, an instant argument started between the two, (about what I don't remember now) and I was spared from answering this one. She becomes engrossed in her own thoughts, and springs up the questions at the totally unexpected moments. Makes me wonder at how much she seems to be observing and absorbing from the world around her. The cute little baby, I held in my arms 6 years ago, is slowly turning a girl, and before I realise, all the innocence seems to be vanishing in front of my eyes, and it pains me to realise the transition. These days, I stay in constant alert as to when she will pop out her next question, and am bracing myself for it. Now, you know why I'm searching for the person who gave that piece of advice.

Yeah, that's me!

27:02:2013

Dear Smruthi,

As you reach your sixth birthday, I cannot stop admiring at how much change the past year has brought in you! You are no more the baby I loved to see you as, nor do you like me calling you a 'baby'. Even if my statement is just 'Luv you baby'. You promptly ask 'Do I look like a baby to you?' You agree or not, like all mothers say, you will always be my baby - my lovely little daughter - and 'the best little girl in the world' (as your milk cup says)

You have grown big-enough to be a girl who can arrange for her own play-dates with your friend. On any Saturday morning, you just wake up and inform me that either you are going over to your friend's place or that she is going to come in to ours to play for the day. Warn you, it's just an information that I get, not permission. Not that I'm much happy about this, but still, I just stand back and see my little girl transforming. When you have nothing else to do, you keep dressing up and admire yourself in the mirror, and ask me how you look. Make-up or no make-up, you will always look beautiful to me!

You like to keep your things ordered and in a regular way. You cannot digest it, if your books are kept in the wrong sections of your school bag, or if your pencils are kept the wrong way in your box. Even if your table is a mess, you keep it a ordered mess. At any point of time, you can take the things you need from the exact location within the mess. You remind me of myself there.

As for you and Swathi, I give up! And I see that these days, even you have resigned to keep out of your sister's way. You just give up and compromise until or unless she gets on your nerves. For the record, it's not just your sister, there are times when you also pull her legs and irritate her just for the sake of doing it. Naughty you!

This year has been proof that you are mommy's girl - through and through. You are able to understand the story when you watch movies. In the most unexpected moment, you narrate the story of a movie, we once watched, and all this time, I was thinking that you were simply munching pop-corn in the movie. And you CRY, when the movies or anything in the TV for that matter becomes emotional - just like me. You just cannot accept not-so-happy parts of the plays, even if the ending is a happy one. For example, there are these 'bad' scenes in the 'Beauty & Beast' and 'Snow-white' which you are just keen on forwarding and move to the happy scenes. Your favorite cartoon in the TV is Doremon - Nobita :)

You are getting more glued to me with each passing day. And you never miss a chance to express your love to me - be it with a simple hug, or saying that I look good in a particular dress, or saying that I'm the best mother in the world! How I wish your dad learns from you! This means a lot to me, especially given my awfully bad temper. There was this one time, when after one of our regular fights and compromises, you told me that even though I go to office and you go to school, you always keep thinking of me - be it in school or home. Now, a statement this big from your little mouth is too heavy for me to handle dear! Especially when I am already whining to be a working mom. I never knew that I could love you even more than I currently do. Love you dear, as always and more than ever before. May you get the best of all that life has to offer. Wishing you the happiest birthday darling!

- With loads of love & kisses,
Your mom

PS: Thanks for making me write again. I just couldn't miss your birthday post :)

27:02:2012

Dear Smruthi,

Its your birthday again, and you are turning five today. The past year has really been a roller-coaster ride with you. You have been the lovable princess most of the time, and in your crankiest best, for the rest of the time, literally driving me mad. There have been times when you have been so cuddly, utterly-butterly lovable, and I couldn't have enough of you, and the other times, I just felt like running away. May be they were your mood swings, as you were growing from a kid to a girl.

You are learning sentiments, and you are becoming an emotional idiot, just like me. Not that I am particularly happy about this trait of yours. This year, the fights between you and me reached an all time high, which is more than the fights between you and your sister. The only time, you listen to me is when I say that I won’t talk to you anymore, and you just can’t stand that. I don’t mean what I am saying darling. I’m just using it as a bait (or blackmail as your father would call it) to make you listen to me. And this doesn’t really work, if you know that this is intentional. You just say ‘paesalaina…po’ and carry on with your work. Now, what am I supposed to do with you? I am growing with you as a mother. Once, during our regular fights, when it was going beyond limits, and I whacked you, (as usual), do you know what you said? “It is only after Swathi came, that you are beating me, so much. Before that you were so affectionate to me.” Until then, I never realized the mistake I have been doing. And I have changed ever since. Not that I have stopped fighting with you, but I have started fighting with your sister as well. And you are happy with that! Now, you are using this dialogue to blackmail me, and your father doesn’t seem to care about that! So, just for the records, we are both even now.

You are a wonderful orator. You like to give the opening speech, or the introduction message for most of your school programs. And coming to your language – you talk English, you walk English, and eat English. You have learnt to understand and respond back in English. We can never realize what you’ll say and when. The other day, in front of the whole house, you said something similar to ‘I know what you did last summer’, leaving me embarrassed. So, this leaves me and your dad with no choice, but to switch to hindi, when we want to talk something, without your understanding. You are becoming a story-maniac. You can’t have enough of the “Snowwhite’ and ‘Beauty & the Beast’. You want to watch the CDs when you are awake, and want to hear those stories, when you go to sleep. You have given up Cindrella, only because, your sister takes the pride of breaking that CD.

You are becoming more of a girl, from the kid, I saw you first. This is evident from the fact, that you love make-ups. You are becoming more beauty-conscious. If I say, that using the kadala maavu will make your skin glow, or applying egg-yoke will make your hair more silky, you are more than happy, to do those. Just hope that you make your dad spend more for your cosmetics, which he refuses to do for me!


You and Swathi! Oh! Where do I begin and how do I end? Whatever has happened to sister affections and girly gossips! Perhaps the word – ‘sibling rivalry’ was coined for you both. Both of you fight as if you were arch rivals, which goes to the extent of making me worry, rather than shout. Inspite of that, if either you or your sister, step out of the house, without the other, you miss her. And you still refuse to exchange her with the tiny-baby girl from the opposite house. (Of whom you are so fond of!)

This year, you have given up the bad habit of stuffing your mouth while sleeping, and have also started drinking milk by the cup. Great! There’s a lot more darling. Looking back makes me realize, how much and how fast you are growing. I want you to stop growing, so that I can cherish you in the same stage, again and again. I want you to grow faster, that I can’t wait to see what you are about to become next.

Anyways, Happy Birthday Darling!!!

Your birthday is a special day, to celebrate the gift of ‘you’ to us.

With loads of love and kisses,
Your mom & dad

Competitions & Competitors

Yesterday night, as usual, I am honking as I am nearing my house. And as usual, my daughters come and open the doors.

On entering, Smruthi thrust my hands with a certificate and a medal. Madam has won the first prize for a TN State-level coloring competition, which was conducted in her school: I-know-not-when. I had no clue that she has even participated in such a competition. (I know, I deserve all the praises for being a working mom.) I feel proud of my daughter, and hug her.

Immediately, out of nowhere, Swathi, grabs all the invitations, telephone bills and whatever she could find in the size of a certificate, and comes running to me, and shows: "Amma, paaru....Miss enakkum prize koduthaaa.....". I laugh at my daughter's act. And Smruthi was mature enough NOT to point out that her sister was wrong.

Do I call this innocence? Smartness? Shrewdness? Jealousy?

Whatever! I am smiling! And I am happy about my kids!

There is only one beautiful child in this world, and every mom has it.
I have two!!!!! :)

Naan romba busy....

Life in the past few months....has been very busy. So busy, that I didn't even find time to blog about some incidents, which I wanted to. Well, I know some eyebrows will be raised, when I said I was busy. Well, my friend, 'busy' doesn't ONLY mean, that I am busy in office. I have a husband, in-laws and two kids, who are more than enough to keep me busy even when I am in home. And obviously enough, whatever I wanted to blog about was about them, and it was them who was keeping me busy enough not to let me write a blog when I wanted to....

So, here, I am penning down those thoughts, which I wanted to blog about, once upon a time...

In a nutshell.....

- Smruthi gave the opening speech for her sports day in Nehru Stadium, for which, I had to prepare for her speech, more than her. On the D day, she absolutely refused to give the speech, and that is when me and Sri had to bribe her with white boards and markers, to make her speak successfully. And yes, she did talk very nicely. After all, kaakaikum....

- Immediately, the week after that, Swathi's school was celebrating Independence Day, and her madam kept changing her proposed costumes every day. After changing from Radha, to Barbie girl and finally deciding on a Rajasthani costume...she was supposed to appear like a rajasthani girl... The way her maa'm explained to me was "You need to dress her up like how Tabu looks in the "Sandhana thendralai..." song... and somehow, I managed to make her look like that, not exactly, but the best I can.

These school programs are more work for the parents, and if there was one thing, which I was not able to afford to my school-going kids, it is TIME. Very difficult. Inspite of that, I managed to give them my best and I was there with them when they performed. I am proud of myself for that. Hats off to me.

- Coming next, the frequent fights, between me and Sri, and the expected-but-never-came-romances. DOT.

- I finally, FINALLY managed to watch a Harry Potter movie in the theatres. History should not say that a die-hard HP fan, has not seen even a single HP movie in the theater. So, in order to make history, after desperate attempts, watched HP and the Deathly Hallows in PVR cinemas. And the most important point is, I was able to watch without hubby and kids' interruption. But, somehow, the movie did not impress me as much as the book did. I loved the books more!!! Anyways, history has been made.

- I was invited for a birthday party of a kid, by a mom, who was totally unknown to me. On attending her call, I was greeted as "Am I talking to Smruthi's mother?" That was the first time, I was addressed like that, and I liked it. She was the mother of Smruthi's classmate, another S. Seems like she always used to talk about Smruthi and few other girls, whenever she returned from school, and so this mother thought that her daughter would like it, if she invited my daughter for the party. And so, we attended her party, I had no clue of the people there, simply went for the cake-cutting , gifted the child and returned back home. When I asked Smruthi, if she enjoyed the party, weirdly enough, she replied that 'S' was not her friend, just a classmate. So, not a big deal!. This girl knows to differentiate between friends and classmates??? I was dumb-struck, as always!!!!

- Smruthi, of late has been asking me questions like, "When will I get married?", "When will you get me married?", "Who will act as the boy, when I get married?" "Only you have to dress me and comb my hair for my marriage as well" and stuff like that, to which I am totally clueless, as to what to answer and how to handle them. May be its the effect of seeing our marriage CD, during our anniversary week. What is the urgency dear! You don't know what you are asking for!

- Smruthi-Swathi fights are reaching an all time high...and there's no stopping either of them, once they get into the conflict mode. Such incidents always drain me of all the energy, and all I can think of at such times is, "when will these girls, grow up, get married and leave the house, so that I can be in peace?"

- Back to the romantic times between me and him, post the accident incident. DOT.

Signing off for now.....

White-boards and sharing....

Argument between father and daughter, for want of white-boards and markers...

She: Daddy, please get us TWO white-boards, TWO markers and TWO dusters...one for me and one for Swathi..
.
Him: No, I will get ONE white-board, TWO markers and ONE duster, and both of you need to share among yourselves...

She: Please daddy, get us one for each...I will not share with her...

Him: No, ur maa'm has taught you sh-aa-rr-ii-nng....right?

She: Please pa...

Him: See, me and your mom always share our things....we have only bike right, and both of us share among ourselves...whenever we need it...

She: Please....

Him: paaru, naanum un ammavum oru bike-thana vechirukom)

She (instantly): aana, car mattum rendu vechirukeenga la?
(But you both have TWO CARS right???)

Him: uhhhh....mmmmm......uhhhh....

Me: giggling and proud of my daughter!!!! Bad example dude!

Finally, compromising from both sides, we got ONE white-board, TWO MARKERS and TWO dusters, and there is a strong middle line in the white board - one side for smruthi and one side for swathi, and both maintain their boundaries....

Indha kotta thaandi neeyum vara koodadhu...naanum vara maaten!!!!