When I was still single, and did not know much about kids, I used to abhor the idea of parents making their children "perform" in front of others, just to show-off what they were capable of doing at a young age.  Especially since (in India, at least), most such acts consisted of sub-standard Hindi film songs being sung or danced in front of elders by an innocent four-year-old.  Silently, I vowed that when I had a child of my own, I wouldn’t make him/her do that.

I have a two-year-old now (Pumpkin), and I have stuck to the promise I made myself.  Thanks to influences from her near and dear ones, though, she knows a tune or two from the bollywood repertoire.  And, she’s not afraid to break into a song, whenever she feels like it.  But I have never, as a parent, made her "perform" for the entertainment of others. 

It’s not like we don’t revel in her explorations.  As parents, we thoroughly enjoy Pumpkin’s attempts at making us aware of her new learnings, be it a new poem or a tidbit from a song!  And, we always encourage her when she gets something right, motivating her to go and learn even more.  But, the most fun we have is when she weaves up an entire conversation (yes, both sides of the dialogue!), complete with her own brand of logic, without any help from any one!

Now, Pumpkin is quite an extrovert, even if she takes a few minutes to warm up to new people.  But, for all her outgoing nature, there is a side of her that no one else knows of, including the ones she’s most comfortable with.  No one, except her mama and papa, that is.  The thing is that she has a complete range of dialogues and emotions and what-have-you, inside of her, which she does not share with any one except her parents! 

When she’s with the two of us, she is so completely uninhibited… so secure… that she will talk about whatever is going on in her little mind.  It’s almost like she lives a secret life.  One for the two of us, and one for the rest of the world.