Envision this - I am cooking (or laundering or dish washing or dropping/picking up kids - my usual daily chores) and I get that moment and conversation which I absolutely must blog. I just let Siri (on my iPhone 4s) know and take a dictation and directly send it to this blog and when I actually sit to write the collective rough draft is all ready. Need/Have an app for this - this same sentence must be being said right at this moment all over the world for different reasons. I don't know something, I just google and make sure all my grammar and spelling is good.
And now envision this - Manav wants to write, needs a notepad/diary, I couldn't fine any, gave him a longer version of a post-it pad and he sat down with his pencil. Got stuck on a spelling - 'Birthday', went to the drawer, fished out a birthday card, copied the spelling. Next one was 'Cheetos' , he went to the pantry, got the Cheetos bag and copied the spelling. And just like that he was done.
So while I am thinking of making my writing easier his is already easy, his 'google' is around him, in the pantry and drawers. Worst case even Arnav chips in
"You want to spell Birthday? Start with a 'B'"
We both did the same thing - write - but I call mine sophisticated and more complex while his is grassroots, just the beginning. And I would like to believe that both our writings provide the same level of reading satisfaction to our readers.
Samples of mine can be found in my blog while his is right below:
And now envision this - Manav wants to write, needs a notepad/diary, I couldn't fine any, gave him a longer version of a post-it pad and he sat down with his pencil. Got stuck on a spelling - 'Birthday', went to the drawer, fished out a birthday card, copied the spelling. Next one was 'Cheetos' , he went to the pantry, got the Cheetos bag and copied the spelling. And just like that he was done.
So while I am thinking of making my writing easier his is already easy, his 'google' is around him, in the pantry and drawers. Worst case even Arnav chips in
"You want to spell Birthday? Start with a 'B'"
We both did the same thing - write - but I call mine sophisticated and more complex while his is grassroots, just the beginning. And I would like to believe that both our writings provide the same level of reading satisfaction to our readers.
Samples of mine can be found in my blog while his is right below:
The boys are grappling with chigger bites, more so Arnav. So Arnav was crying a lot this morning after an absolute hell of a night tossing and turning and itching, hence Caunteya said
"Manav distract Arnav, keep him busy so that he doesn't cry"
"Arnav do you want to hear a joke?" Manav said in his sweet morning voice
"Yes" Arnav wiped his eyes and went and sat next to him
"What did the bug bite say to the medicine?"
"I don't know" Arnav's voice was still teary
" ' Hey you can't kill me' . He didnt hear a word as he was already dead" Manav got me in a circular reference issue in my brain. As it was early morning after a horrendous night as I explained. But the best part is Arnav laughed.
"What did the medicine say to the bug bite?" Manav asked again
" ' Hey you can't kill me' . He didnt hear a word as he was already dead" Arnav repeated verbatim
"No, he said " Hey I am going to kill you" but didnt hear a word as he was already dead" Manav sure got me thinking.
Arnav laughed again and I couldn't sleep on anymore. Had to get up and hug the angels, though one was a monster right before that second. Thus began this morning.
If I am lucky, sometimes these days I get to hear some real great backseat conversations especially when there is another kid in there.( As sometimes I pick up friend's kids).
"Do you know my mommy is taking my brother to the doctor so he can talk?" the kid mentions
"Oh, how will the doctor make him talk?" Manav asked
"He will put something in my brother's mouth and he will start talking" kid explains
"Babies don't talk when they are zero years" Manav tries
"No one is zero years" kid is perplexed
"Yes, you are zero years when you are in your Mommy's tummy or if you haven't had your first birthday" Manav is persistent
"Really?" kid has some food for thought
"Yes, I saw my Mommy's pictures when she had me in her tummy and she was very fat. But now she is not fat anymore as I am not zero years. I am five"
"My mommy's birthday is on Monday" kid switches the topic.
"Too bad, too sad you cannot go to her birthday party as it is a school day" Manav pointed out
"Nooo, I will go to her party " kid starts whining
"No, you can't" Manav goes on
and thats when everything goes haywire and I barely navigate a changing-lanes car. Swearing under my breath is not an option as Manav has ears for those words and those alone sometimes.
This eating, sleeping, talking like a perfect role-model is killing. You have to make sure your speech is perfect and not littered(or rather peppered) with 'bad words". That reminds me, a couple of weeks back a friend of mine was visiting and she has a 8 year old. Here's his conversation with Manav
"Weird is not a bad word" 8 year old corrects Manav
"Yes, it is, you cannot say - 'you're weird' to anyone" Manav says
"No, bad words are stupid, idiot and this" 8 year old shows the middle finger.
"That is not a word at all. How do you say it?" Manav is now curious
"Here, fold all your fingers, leave the middle one out. Yes, like this. This is a bad word, you know that?" 8 year old says
"This is not a word" Manav is still perplexed
"Yes, it is. Ask your mom" 8 year old has everything figured out
"Mommy, how can this be a bad word?" Manav has his middle finger up
"Manav, it is a bad gesture. As bad as a bad word" I had nothing else to say.
"Hey do you have a father?" Manav asks 8 year old
"Yes, why won't I have a father? Everyone has a father" 8 year old has his facts straight
"Then why didnt he come?" Manav pointed out
"Because he is at work. He travels a lot. That is why he couldn't come." that satisfies Manav.
"Mommy when Arnav is 4 years old he can come sleep on the top of the bunk bed and I will go sleep somewhere higher, near the ceiling and little baby can sleep in the bottom" Manav told me when I was kissing him goodnight the other day.
"Which little baby?" I asked
"The new baby, which we all will have" Manav says
"Manav, Papa and I decided there will be no more babies."
"Why?" Manav is crestfallen
"As we are happy with you boys" I explain
"So then who will sleep in the bottom bunk?"
"I and Papa will sleep there" I try to joke.
"And we will have 2 guest bedrooms, as your bedroom will become a guest bedroom" and with that note we were all ready to part when
"But your heads will hurt on this back of the bed" Arnav made a valid observation so for now, we have kept our sleeping arrangements unchanged.
My chatter boxes keep me entertained and if there is a third kid in the mix it becomes even more hilarious. I have secret wishes of eavesdropping on my kids' sleepover conversations and am sure there already is or there will be an app for that when this happens. Till then keep your eyes open, coz sometimes bad words are not heard they are seen.
They force me to be nice always ...
Oh My God, in this picture, both look at least two years older than their respective ages. Manav is sufficiently witty to defeat adults with his logic - let alone that third kid :P. His logic is valid at almost all times - just a different way of thinking. Even I got into a circular reference on reading the joke - I read it at least twice before noticing that even you were at the same position. It was one of those old posts - "loaded" with "conversations".. loved it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sheetal...I know that pic makes them look so mature...
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