05 May 2012

To my lovable Swathi,

You are turning three today, and you know what, we are celebrating your birthday this year in Kulu-Manali, and you are having the time of your life here. Hope we get to celebrate your every birthday with a vacation.

As your third birthday is over, do I even get a chance to hope that your terrible twos are over? Will your fights with your sister reduce? Do you even intend to become a better girl from now? Well, I can only hope. But, trust me, life is never dull as long as you are around. You are the naughtiest, crankiest brat in the family.

You always want to compete with your sister for anything and everything that she is doing, she is having, she is saying, she is eating...WHAT EVER!!!! You strictly follow your policy - 'What is mine is mine and what is yours is also mine!', and you never give up. If you want, 'if and only if you want', you can be the loveliest little sister to have. Such a cute little bunny, you can be, that you can make Smruthi, do anything and everything for you, right from sharing her favorite Barbie doll, to brushing you, feeding you, playing, combing, anything. During one incident, when I was shouting at you, your sister had the nerve to advise me not to scold you. "Why are shouting at her like this? What does she know? My thangai is soooo paavam". She had the nerve to advise me this and all gyaan was easily forgotten in the next 15 minutes, when you took her notes without her permission and all togetherness was lost, and life was back to usual. But, all these daring and fighting is only with your sister, or at the max, within your family circle. The moment you step inside a social group, you become very shy and reserved. You are that 'veetla puli, velila eli' (Tiger in home, but a rat outside.)

This year, all of a sudden, you have become very matured. I'm not talking in terms of your naughty little incidents, that stays as good as ever. What I meant, is you are not emotional, (unlike me and your sister) very practical, and you are very clear in what you want. One fine day, you woke up in the morning and asked me in the bed, with your usual sweet, little innocent face, if I would get you a Dora cake for your birthday, and if not Dora, atleast a Barbie cake. And when I asked you, whom would you give the first piece of your birthday cake, you told me that you would eat it. And when I showed you a very paavam face, you justified your answer saying that since it was your birthday, you should only be having the first cake. Good logic! But, you know what you did today, you gave your first piece of cake to your sister, without anybody telling you. That's when I realized, the deep bonding between you two sisters. Love you girls. (And I'm sorry that we couldn't get Dora or Barbie cakes in Manali. But you were happy with the flower cake we got you)

You have started your school and you are completely in love with it. You want to go to school even on holidays, and you refuse to accept, if I say that you don't have school. You think that I am cheating by not sending you to school, but I alone leave for office. Darling, we don't get summer vacations in office dear. But, how I wish!

One thing, which is so addictive about you is that thiruttu-muzhi which you give, when you do some mischief and I catch you red-handed. You silently give that naughty look, with a smile and get behind your paati, or whoever is nearby. You can easily impress others with that smile of yours. And when you give that look, how can I shout at you?

Even when you emptied my entire stock of fair & lovely, coconut oil, face-wash, face-powder, body lotion baby powder and not to forget that vicks and amrutanjan, all into a single small powder box and stirring the potion with your sister's pencil. You made the entire floor oily with that potion of yours, and you easily got away with that single smile.

All said and done, we don't really want you to be silent and well-behaved. Last month, when you were down with high fever, there was a 30-minute period when you couldn't even speak. You were sitting just like that staring and not doing anything. A dose of crocin and you showed your true-self again, even though you still had temperature. But, that 30-minute silence of yours was the real hell. Not your mischiefs. We are so addicted to your screams and shouts, that the house, looks so bland if you are not in. What's life without your mischief? Keep mischieving dear. We can't seem to live without it. Love you darling. Now and always.

Your mom & dad.