NaPoWriMo (# 11): Dear daughter…

Your palm once so little..
now sure likes to scribble.
Lullaby that made you calm..
has now lost its charm.
You wanted me, everywhere you tread.. 
Now look at you , you have raced ahead.
Oh, how much I miss those days..
When mommy’s lap was your safest place!
Oh, how much I want to turn time back..
When you slept snuggled on my neck!
Now you grow and a new world you explore..
Come back for a minute to rest…
Because now it is me who needs you, my baby, more and more..
 
 
 
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Indulge

Once upon a time there was a little princess. She was the most obedient child her parents could ask for. Her teachers, neighbors, friends all adored her. Then one day she came up with a wish to visit an amusement park. Her doting parents made arrangements for the trip to “Essel World” in Mumbai. She was eagerly waiting for the weekend.

At last, the glorious Sun heralded the beginning of Saturday. The princess’s parents were usually careful about their daughter’s safety and food but they decided to keep their worries aside and really indulge her that day… And what a day it was!

First was the toy train. Sitting there on a slow-moving train with other kids, she was elated and kept waving every time she crossed the spot where parents were waiting to collect their kids. It was a small circular track and the train went around thrice on it. As a grown up it was difficult to imagine the fun, but the faces of children mirrored their joy…

Another similar ride which had small cars and jeeps mounted on a track was the next in order and again she went round and round on the track thrice, thoroughly enjoying the ride!

All kids’ ride happen to have only circular motion and kids tend to ride all similar ones one after another! Now this one had space ships attached to the giant arm which  lifted up in air. Round and round and round again….

A traditional Merry-go-round…

The sun blazed but she was all for more rides and fun. She tried her hand at the ” Go-Kart” and found it a bit difficult to maneuver but yet enjoyable…And little respite from the continuous circular motion. Just watching her go round and round made me….the mother of princess go dizzy!

Another car ride….the electric cars. She banged away happily, getting stuck in corner at times and driving well sometimes. She felt all grown up driving a car…

And the day ended with a big bear hug to the hatted guy who displayed a come again sign!

Indulge her, that we did and in the process learned a few things too!

  • It’s absolutely satisfying to see the kids smile and laugh….that is what parents aim for any ways.
  • Their joy is infectious and you just forget all your worries of the day!
  • The child within each adult gets to be free and relish childhood again.
  • Money spent doesn’t seem like a wastage!!

So go ahead and indulge yourself through your child. It’s worth it….

Gallery

Weekly Photo Challenge: Family

I missed out on the last week photo challenge “Breakfast” though my kitchen was  most active during last few days. Everyday the clank of many pots and pans made the neighbors wonder what we were up to? Pickles and jams of Indian Gooseberry, jaggery filled Indian breads, khus-khus halwa(sweet made from opium seeds…..nothing illegal about it!!), aata-laddoo(wheat flour balls with a hell lot of roasted dry fruits and clarified butter), khandvi, gulab jamuns and lot many things…….all were miraculously appearing from the kitchen. The last fortnight was indeed an overdose of delicacies which normally was made throughout the year to keep us hooked to home cooked food when we were kids. So why squeeze it all in few days? Ah, that is what grandmothers do, I guess, when they come visiting….

Yep, my parents visited us. The love for their granddaughter and inability of their daughter(to make all these traditional dishes) made them to step in the kitchen instead of resting and relaxing!

So what is family?  A place where one is extremely comfortable is home. And the people with whom we can laugh, cry, scream, play, get annoyed, talk, share secrets, tease, hug, have worst hair day and if a stray FART escapes it becomes a matter of roaring laughter instead of embarrassment then that is family!!

I have had hundreds of arguments with my parents since teenage and I still argue on lot of things even today but that doesn’t stop them from loving me unselfishly. Every time they return back to their place after visiting us, there is this emptiness and a nagging feeling of not doing enough for them….

I hope to be of use when their feet are so tired that they need my shoulder to lean on to…. And this feeling is Family!!

And they say a man’s best friend is the dog! My daughter has always been keen to have a younger brother or sister. However, I don’t see that happening for whatever reason God has in store for me. To get over the guilt of not being able to give a sibling to her I got her a pet to play with… And what love do they shower on each other!! She is there to defend him if I happen to scold him and he is there to seek all her attention on her return from school.  He has become an inseparable member of the family. Though I do grumble on finding dog hair sticking to the curtains, bed, clothes and my carpets but nothing can make me to stop loving him because he is Family too!

   

In-laws are family too whether you get along with them or not! Nobody can take place of one’s own parent but spouse’s parents should be given their due place in the family too( you don’t want to get into sticky situation !!). They are there to lend a helping hand if the need ever arises and they love their grandchildren as much too….