Monday, April 24, 2017

Birthdays, Birds and Bees ...



The consistent fact about last few posts have been the same opening " Ages since I wrote .....", so I sat musing as to why I don't utilize my "free" moments to pen the interesting happenings on a daily basis? Why does it take all to be piled up in notebooks scribbles, notepad saves to put in words after ages? Why this lethargy? Why move away from something that makes me happy? While these answers continue to elude me, here's some real conversations...

Kids were backseat listening to songs in 103.7 and Hailey and Grey's Starving came up: 

I didn't know that I was starving till I tasted you

Don't need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo


And while I was still blushing backseat banter started.

"Should be chicken, right?" Manav quipped


"Could be broccoli too, can't really say" Arnav answered

So birds and bees have been featuring in our conversations too often now to go unnoticed. The other day Manav said:

"Mommy how can Jimmy Carter the 39th US President be the first to be born in a hospital? Where were the others born?"

"Maybe at home" I said distractedly

"What? How is that possible? Don't you need to cut tummies to get babies out?"

By this time I was alert. Couldn't possibly lie, since now he's older and more roundabout answers will just breed a trust and google-better-than-mom issue.

"Well some babies are born from the body. Don't need to cut open" I said

"What? From the body? Where? That's impossible"

I didn't have the wherewithal to continue this conversation so ably rerouted but am sure that's not the last I heard about that as evidenced by the next round of backseat banter.

"So I know that the sperm and the egg have to meet to form a baby. How do they meet?"

"I will have to tell you later Manav. Have to explain some things and it needs a good time to sit and talk. I am afraid driving and talking about how babies are made won't work well"

He did stop. But time's up, we need to talk. Waiting, prolonging for the perfect moment is just adding to the certainty that he'll get his answers elsewhere and there is no controlling that !!

More questions - "Can you have babies without marriage?"

Arnav answered that one "Well you'll know after you get married”

Manav said " Then I'll never know, because I'll never get married"

Innocence is bubbling away to make place for first traces of big boy we have in our hands. He just turned 10 and my happiness is around the fact that he can now do laundry, dishes, clean up room, etc. but guess there are other information dissemination I have to perform however hard it may seem.

Till then, I can just hope and pray we talk before he reads this !!


























Friday, January 13, 2017

Letter from Parents - For Arnav as Star Student


Dear Arnav,
That summer of 2008, we were panicking, your father and I, since you would make your appearance soon and we didn’t have a name for you. This was in stark contrast to your brother, we had his name picked even before we were married!! But then you cannot blame us, we weren’t really expecting you. You’re the proverbial icing on the cake, the unexpected, the surprise, the cherry on the pie, bonus, gift, christmas in summer, I can go on and on, but I digress.
Coming back, yes we were going crazy finding a name. Finally after what seemed like ages, we found it - ARNAV.
Goes well with Manav? Check.
Short and sweet? Check.
People, especially non-Indians can say it fine? Check.
What about the meaning? A big body of water. Check.
Little did we know that time how you would embody your name. A big body of water, a vast ocean, blue sea, peaceful, calm, ready to embrace. Now you know why I always want to steal a cuddle, a hug or even a peck if not a kiss from you. It just calms me down, whatever state I am in, I feel soothed, happy and oh so good.
You are this vastness of compassion and kindness ever ready to share and make others happy. Something that cannot be taught, something that’s so deep within you, something you were born with. Something so precious, but can never be taken away from you.
You will always spread joy and happiness wherever you go. Arnav, you have already lived up to your name, so all we wish for you is:
Go places, meet people, have million friends and give them the gift of feeling loved which I get every moment I am with you. Except for the times you are mad at me and wouldn’t hug me even if I beg and plead. Just like now, when I said “No” to another episode of FLASH.
Love,
Mommy
1/11/2017