Bed-time stories: Of old-ages and after-lives...

It was another one of our bed-time talks, when suddenly the topic of human evolution is raised by Swathi. After a vague explanation of the first man and woman, mankind coming from monkeys and all that stuff, the next question hits me “So, you mean to say...since we are your kids, when we have kids and they have kids, this house will be full of kids?” Oh.My.God! Whoever coined the term, “terrible twos”...sixth year is the worst, I tell you. These kids and their curiosities!!!

So, coming back to the question, as I was silently wondering as to how best to answer this...Smruthi jumps in and says (her exact words here)”No Swathi...It’s not like that...Let me explain (yeah, she said exactly that!) Humans are born from their mom’s tummies, grow up, get married, have kids (thank god, she has the order right), grow old and then die one day. If humans don’t die, there won’t be enough space on earth. So, they die, go to God and God makes them to be born again as a baby through some mother’s tummy”. Yes, she delivered this entire speech in a single flow. Without a moment’s pause.

As always, I was dumb-struck and speechless. Now, she turns towards me and says “Ma...next time also, will you be my mother?” Ok, now, I’m officially freaking out. I have seen and heard this “Adutha jenmam-nu onnu irundha...” dialogues so many times in movies, but this girl delivering the same dialogue, trust me, it didn’t sound one bit cheesy or filmy. Since I didn’t know what else to say, I nod and hug her and kiss her and then realise that this is one of those very rare moments when Swathi is being silent. No arguments, no interruptions, nothing! Just silent thinking! Then, she blurts out, “Aiyoo Amma, will my kids be calling you paati then?” Trust my little girl to come up with such an observation with such a timing. I don’t understand why, but the thought of some-one, some-day calling me “paati” sends her through a fit of giggles, and she laughs, not just some sarcastic laughter, but a non-stop, hugging-your-stomach and tears-in-the-eyes kind of laughter for the next five minutes, till I get annoyed. Never a dull moment in life, I tell you!

Home-maker???

The six-year old is becoming difficult to manage these days. Not physically, but emotionally. (The four-year old is more than enough to drain you physically.)

Just like all parents, the dad one day popped the question to her "What do you want to become when you grow up?"

And out came the answer: "I will become a home-maker"

When the mommy was still in shock, the dad recovered quickly and to make matters worse, asked "What for? What will you do being a home-maker?"

"I will pick up my kids from school, teach their home-work, play with them, and be there with them all the time"

The only words which did not come out of her mouth were "Unlike my mother!"

Whoever taught her the term "home-maker"!

How I wish I could make my kids dreams come true!

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!