Casting a Spell

A few weeks ago, Pumpkin turned 7.

I was curious to know what she thought about the most significant developments of the past year, so I went ahead and asked her…

Papa: Pumpkin, now that you’ve turned 7, what is the most important thing you remember about the months that went by?

Pumpkin: Hmmm… I think the most important thing was that a witch cast a spell on me and my best friend!

Papa: Really?!  How did that happen? (I almost fell off my chair when I heard that)

Pumpkin: Oh, Papa.  An evil witch cast a spell on both of us last year - that’s why we have to go to school every day!  Before that, we used to go to office instead of school.

Papa: Wow!  And, how will that spell ever end?

Pumpkin: Only when school ends forever.

Now, you know.

Lately, we’ve introduced the practice of a daily quiz over dinner. Both the kids have dinner with us, so it’s a fun way to engage them in conversation, teach them about interesting things and make learning & quizzing more enjoyable.

The kids take turns to choose the “subject” and also take turns at answering questions.  A few days ago, they chose History. Here’s what happened next…

Papa: Pumpkin, tell me, who is known as the Father of the Nation?

Pumpkin: I know, I know… Gandhi Jayanti ! (Jayanti means birthday celebration)

Papa: Well, you’re close.  It’s not Gandhi Jayanti, but Gandhi ji.

Papa: And, Tiger, what is Gandhiji’s full name?

Tiger: I know this one – it’s Gandhiji Bachwani.

(We’ve been teaching Tiger that every one’s full name in the family is XYZ Bachwani.  So, that’s what he figured!)

Another day, another quiz.  This time, the topic was Birds…

Papa: Tiger, can you name a pretty bird?

Tiger: Yes, a pretty bird is… peacock!

Papa: Very good!  Now, Pumpkin, can you name another pretty bird?

Tiger: (Before Pumpkin could answer) I know, I know… Another peacock!

Now, you know.

The “Tidbits” series I started many moons ago, has proved to be very popular among the readers of this blog. With this post, I now introduce little Tiger’s antics to you…

Earlier today, as I was getting ready for work, I saw little Tiger upto some of his naughty antics in my room.  This is what happened next…

Papa: Tiger, which planet have you come from?

Tiger: (Gives me a mischevious smile and points his finger towards the sky!)

Papa: Yes, I know it’s up there.  But, what is it called ?!

Tiger: (almost instantly) Zoo Ba Gaa!

Papa: Really?  Is it a fun planet?  What does it have?

Tiger: Food! (with a lot of emphasis and a big smile on his face!)

Papa: Oh! Sounds fun.  What kind of food?

Tiger: Chinese… And, many other restaurants…

By the way, Tiger just turned 3 last week.

A casual conversation at breakfast left me a little stunned.  I was going through the headlines of the local daily, when the following happened…

Pumpkin: Papa, do you know why girls are better than boys?

Papa: Why, Pumpkin?

Pumpkin: I’ll tell you… it’s because of 2 reasons…

Girls go to col-lege
to get know ledge
Boys go to school
to become a fool !

and

Girls drink pepsi
to be sexy
Boys drink “dudu” (milk)
to become a “buddhu” (fool)

Now, you know.

Hidden Treasures

Earlier today, I was helping Pumpkin 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 Pumpkin 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?!

Pumpkin: 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.

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

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

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

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

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

Papa: A “cave”?!  What for?

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

Now, you know.