»
S
I
D
E
B
A
R
«
Tidbits: July 2010
Jul 8th, 2010

 

Hidden Treasures

Earlier today, I was helping Khushi get ready for school when we began talking about Disneyland.  Now, typically, when we talk of any thing that costs a lot of money, I try to bring in the message that, if we really want something and it costs a lot, we can buy it if we “save” for it.  I should also mention that just a week ago, we’d bought some furniture for the house and had told Khushi that mama and papa were saving for a few more pieces of furniture we wanted to bring into the house.  Here’s what happened…

Papa: You know, a lot of parents and children visit Cinderella’s castle in Disneyland?!

Khushi: Really?!  I want to go too…

Papa: Sure.  We’ll take both of you there once we’ve saved up enough money to buy us the tickets.

Khushi: I hope you start saving soon for it, Papa…

Papa: Sure.  We’ve already started saving for it.  Don’t worry about it.

Khushi: Now, please stop saving for all the tables and cupboards so that we can save for Disneyland!

Papa: Don’t worry, Khushi.  We’ll save for both Disneyland and the furniture we want to buy…

Khushi: (After a slight pause) I think we’ll need to find a cave soon.

Papa: A “cave”?!  What for?

Khushi: In case we can’t save enough… Caves have hidden treasures inside them!!!

Now, you know.

He, The Man!
May 1st, 2010

Kabir is now two and a half years old, and has certainly come a long way from the “Small Beginning” he made when he began speaking around a year ago.

It still takes us by surprise that, somewhere in the past one year, his vocabulary shot up so suddenly and significantly that most folks who meet him, find it hard to believe that he’s just two.  It’s almost as if he was accumulating all the words he was listening to, only to explode like a volcano one day with every thing that’s inside!

There are a number of things he says routinely, that are so typical and unique… and special.  Here are some of my favourite examples…

When he’s angry with someone’s behaviour, he’ll come up to them, make his best “angry” face and tell them in a stern voice : “I’m angee with you!

Like Khushi, he also can’t pronounce any word that starts with an ‘s’.  So, “school” becomes “cool”, and “stand” becomes“tand”, and so on and so forth.

His favourite animals are dinosaurs, and his favourite movie is Ice Age 3 in which the most “powerful” role is that of the “mama dinosaur”.  So, he’s grown up with the thinking a “mama dinosaur” is the most powerful beast that ever walked this Earth.  And, about 1017 times in a day, he rushes at someone with one of his favourite glow-in-the-dark dinosaur models in his hand, threatening them with the words: “I’m a mama dinosaur, and I’m coming to eat you…

The other day, he observed that he and I are both “boys”, so I gently corrected him saying, “That’s true, but I’m a grown up boy which is called a ‘man’.”  So he clarified, are you a “Papa man”?  I said yes.  He immediately added, “I’m a mama man!” in the voice he uses when he threatens us with “mama dinosaur”!!!

Speaking of grown ups, he struggles with the phrase and always ends up calling them “growm ups” !

Early on in life, he figured out his own name for a sleeveless shirt.  He calls it a “tickle tickle t-shirt” since it’s so much easier to tickle him in his armpits when he’s wearing one of those!

He frequently asks us what is our favourite colour, and God help you if you happen to answer that your favourite colour is something that you’re not wearing on your clothes!  He will argue with you that your favourite colour is not X since you’re wearing Y.  That’s that. (His favourite colour is “blown“, by the way.  Pronounced as “brown” with an “l”)

One of the things I really find amusing is his constant effort to figure out the world around him.  Almost every new thing we show him, or something he encounters by himself, is followed by an innocent question: “It’s for eating?

Whenever we’re watching the TV or a movie, and he sees a really pretty girl on screen, he looks at me or his mama and says, “I like her.  She’s my friend.“  That usually means he’s taken a fancy for this one.  And, I have to admit, it’s always the prettiest thing in the entire cast!

Somewhere along the way, he’s also developed the habit of allowing me to go to office only after he tells me a secret in my ear.  What is it, you ask?  Well, it’s a secret!

Watch this space for more.

Read Also: A Happy Journey

Tidbits: April 2010
Apr 13th, 2010

If Memory Serves

A little background before this post:  My mom – the kids’ Dadi (i.e. grandma) – lives with us.  She is more than 70 years old and is often forgetful of things that were told to her not so long ago.  One day, on returning home from work, I learned from Khushi that Dadi had slipped and lost her balance while she was out walking with her.  Now, sometimes, Khushi tends to exaggerate things a bit, so I thought I would clarify, just to be sure.  Here’s how it went:

Khushi: Papa, did you know that Dadi fell down today when we were down?!

Papa: Really?

Khushi: Yes, papa.  She really slipped and fell.  You can ask her.

Papa: Oh!  And what will she say if I ask her about it?

Khushi: She’ll say no. 

Papa: Why would she do that?!

Khushi: Papa, you know Dadi doesn’t remember any thing… How will she remember this?!

Now, you know.

Tidbits: January 2010
Jan 31st, 2010

 

Growing Up…

I’m one of those parents who believes that children should grow up and be whoever they want to be, irrespective of how their parents feel about what they are capable of.   I also find it fascinating to observe how a child’s mind develops with age and how his/her aspirations change with time.  That is why, every few months or so, I casually ask Khushi if she has decided what she’d like to be when she grows up. 

In the past, her answers have included painter, artist and a ballerina.  But, this time, I was taken by surprise!

Papa: Khushi, what would you like to be when you grow up?

Khushi: I want to be a “birthday person” !

Papa: What’s a “birthday person” ?!

Khushi: It’s someone who has a birthday every day, and gets lots of presents and balloons and candy floss… every day!

Khushi: Can you imagine that?!

In 2 days, Khushi will be 6 years old.

Tidbits: December 2009
Dec 13th, 2009

 

Navigation

Khushi loves to be a navigator when we’re in the car, and often provides us with directions based on what she sees the indicator lights do!  As always, I try to encourage her efforts whenever possible…

One day, as my wife was backing the car into our parking slot, Khushi started voicing helpful directions asking her to come a little more, little more, little more, stop!  Here’s what happened next:

Papa: Khushi, you’ve become an excellent navigator.  Good job!

Khushi: That’s because I practice, Papa.  You should also do that!!!

Now, you know.

 

Ulta Pulta

One Thursday, Khushi had a holiday in school on account of their Annual Day celebrations, and ended up waking up early anyway.  Here’s what I overheard during a telephonic conversation between Khushi and her grandma, that morning…

Khushi: Grandma, you know it’s all “ulta pulta” (topsy turvy)?

Khushi: When it’s a school day, and I’m supposed to wake up early, I wake up late.

Khushi: And, when it’s a holiday, and I don’t have to get up early, I get up early!

How do you deal with that?!

»  Substance: WordPress   »  Style: Ahren Ahimsa
© Naveen Bachwani, 2010