The sixth sense!

The sixth sense, that truly lies with kids...

Out of the million things that keep lying around in the house - used, unused, played with, not played with..thrown under the bed, hidden behind the cupboards, things that you eye each day to clean up and clear up.. and eventually sit down to sort and take up the process of segregating, to keep in play zone, to send to attic, to give away and to throw away, the one thing that you dare to throw, on that day, when they are away to school, comes back to haunt you, asking "why on earth did you throw me in the first place?" It echoes in your ears for the rest of the day, cursing you to have thrown it, while you did it for the good. For the good of the house, the space, for your kido (eventually making room for new toys), for that kido who might use the discarded toys. But that's life! Life with a child who is neither old enough to let go of them, or young enough to keep playing with them. This stage of being mid way is really mind boggling at times! Hey , not for her! for ME!

So, where was I, yes, as you take up the task of the month, your child will come back from the school and ask for that exact same toy that you threw away some time back and bring the world down while asking for it a million times. But you are stuck in your own soup... And its burnt now. So you have no choice  but to bring back the stuff that has been put in the attic, unpack the stuff that has been packed to give away, to stop the whining and expect them not to bring the heaven down. Lol, as if...

So what should you do now? You put some cotton in your ears, because the song for that thrown away toy is still playing... Make some tea,  regret your decision of taking up the task and watch your hard work of a few hours turn into a mess. Congratulations your kid has won yet another battle. Now its time for you to sit back with your tea and whine!

Happiness is..

Looking at old photographs and wondering how time flies. And finding myself smiling at all the time well spent with beautiful friends,  and a loving family. Finding my little one still remembering incidents that happened two years back where we lived earlier and talking about her old friends with the same fondness that she has for news ones today and wondering on the magic of her memory and the warmth in her heart. But most importantly getting reminded to be like a child when it comes to 'friend'  matters.

25.08.2016  8:00pm mumbai

Going to School early morning in an auto rickshaw with lots of giggles and cool breeze. Spending beautiful time with your child, talking and just watching out. And then while eating her own banana, she suddenly asks the driver, "Uncle did you eat your breakfast?". Happiness is watching that smile on the driver's face , and knowing it was brought about by your child! It is that moment when you realize that your kid is turning out to be a really good person.

24.08.2016 mumbai  10:45am

Pretending to be the mermaid mumma who goes deep into the sea to find seashells for her baby mermaid. It is to just sit on the beach with baby mermaid and daddy mermaid and do absolutely nothing. To soak in the breeze and the surfs. To witness small hands building sand castles with undisturbed attention. To see those seashells that you have collected like a child on the beach, getting placed on the sand castles by your child! Absolute, pure happiness!

 11.08.2016 goa 11am

Getting into bed at 1am, beside your three and a half year old, and she turns around in her sleep and says "I love you. A hmm..  I can't live without you. I can't live without papa also." she then turns back and returns to her sleep, leaving me all in awe of what just happened!!  I remembered that I have been saying these lines to her lately, which she returned to me tonight in the most surprising manner ever. I had never imagined they would come back to me in this way. She gave a beautiful good night kiss on my heart!

22.08.2016  mumbai  01:30am

Mom friends, Motherhood essentials!

I have always been a people’s person. Once I sit down to count my friends, the list goes on and on...That is definitely a matter of envy for my husband Anuj, who is very shy and hence, has inhibitions in increasing his friend circle. Infact, since the time we have been married, most of our guest list during dinners at home, consists of my friends and their hubbies... now converted into his friends ! Wait, this post is not about our friend list comparison or who has more and who has less. It is about my friends, and their role in shaping up my motherhood experience. This post is a reflection of my thoughts about my old friends, and new friends, non-mom friends and my mom friends!

Our life takes us through many phases, childhood, school time, college days, work life, marriage and then baby times. Right now I am at my Baby/toddler phase. 

Each of these phases gives us friends. 

Some who become friends in need, those who are friends in deed...

Some who are always there, some who come and go in phases..

Some who have gone away from your life but you regret sending them away by your childish actions and wish them to come back, but the truth is they never will....

Some who have sent you away from their life and you cannot enter it again, no matter how many likes or comments you give them on social networking sites, no matter how many hidden messages you send them that you want to be back in their life, that you miss them and the bond you once shared..

Some who you love and hate at the same time, because they are never there when you need them, but one fine day they will call up and behave as if they have always been there..

Some who are your soul mates, who always remain in your heart, who are your friends for years, for life, for the longest of times, with whom you have shared all things good, bad and ugly, that has happened in your life. They might call you once in 3 months, but they will open up a world for you. They will enter and exit your regular life like flash cards, but they are a part of your existence, they have always been. "Harveen that's you".

And some who have become a part of your daily life, your day to day activities. You wake up and chat with them, you exercise with them, you hang out with them, discussing all things under the sun, from the color of your baby’s poop to what’s in menu today, to where to take children this weekend, to how to handle their tantrums, to how to manage family matters, to husband matters, to maid matter, to school matters, to xyz, yes as I said all things under the sun!

 

These are our Mom Friends. My mom friends, who have been with me since the time Vrinda came into our lives. The age of my friendship with them is similar to Vrinda’s age, but the bond that I share with them is much deeper, stronger and older (not literally, but emotionally). 

 I feel extremely lucky to have found some of the best moms as friends since the motherhood phase of my life started. Kopal, Ritu, Ekta, Sheetal, Amrita all these women have been by my side as I have grown into a mother.

They say it takes a village to raise a child. I would say it takes a few mom friends to raise a child. Without them, it is impossible to gain faith in yourself as a mother. They are the ones who would never make you feel ugly, no matter how much weight birthing a child has piled on you. They would be on standby at 3 am, if you need a baby medicine or advise on how to handle sudden baby cramps or motions or sleep issues. They would extend all possible support in taking care of your child, in baby sitting them, so that you can take a nap or have a visit to the supermarket or just have some alone time with your hubby. They would give you a shoulder to cry on, when your child gets hurt for the first time. They would recite their own stories and encourage you, when you cry because your child is being impossible! They would cook for your child and let you take a break. They would be moms to your child when you are not around.

And this is what my mom friends have been to me. I am thankful to my stars beyond words, for being so generous to me, for giving such friends, for giving Vrinda such aunts, who love her to the core.

Words fall short to thank you girls, for being there for me and Vrinda. I hope that I have been the same for you all as you have been for me. Love you to the moon and back!

On the first day of school, a letter to my child’s teacher

I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but today you become one of the most important people in my life. You are the one. The one who I’ve entrusted to take care of my girl in my absence. The one who I’ve tasked with teaching her things that I cannot. The one who will make an indelible mark on her little soul that will forever shape her perspective of learning.

This is a difficult transition for our family because until this moment in her life, it’s been her Dad and me who’ve made these impressions. We fail and fall short each and every day, but everything we’ve done has been done with great love. Now, we’ll share our influence with you, and we hope that you understand your significance in her life.

These are the things we ask of you as we place our most precious gift in your hands:

Love her

We are sending her to you to learn reading and writing and arithmetic, but greater than her need for any academic pursuit is her need to be loved and cherished. Take the time to see her unique gifts and her unique challenges. You cannot love her if you don’t know her, and although your day is undoubtedly filled with a to-do list longer than anyone realizes, make this one first on your list. She will learn far more from someone who delights in her than someone who doesn’t. Show her that there are other adults in the world besides her parents who will love her, who she can trust, who will advocate for her, who see the good in her and will help her along this journey of life.

Encourage her

Although it’s easily lost in the day-to-day shuffle, remember the weight that your words carry. Our teachers carry incredible power in their words, and in many ways they tell us who we are and who we will become. Use your words wisely. Use them to encourage and empower her, to build her confidence. Open her eyes wide with the excitement of learning. Be the teacher who shows her that learning brings with it a world of adventure. More important than any lesson you can plan is to teach her to love learning. It’s the one lesson that will stay with her forever.

Teach kindness and respect

I know you will be focused on reaching academic milestones, but also know that more than any letter on a report card, I desire for my child to learn to live well with others. I tell her that she is special and wonderfully made, but she also needs to know that each and every other child around her is, too. Demand respect from her for yourself and for her peers, and do not accept anything less. Guide her to be patient and kind. Care for her and teach her to care for others.

Know how much we appreciate your sacrifice

Please know that I understand how much I am asking of you. I know that you stand in between these walls each and every day not in search of financial or professional rewards, but because you care about my child and many others. While you may feel undervalued by the rest of the world, please know that you are incredibly valued by our family. Thank you for the sacrifices you’ve made to spend your days with my little one. Thank you for all of the time, money and effort you spend preparing lesson plans, decorating your classroom, obtaining supplies that the school can’t provide. Those hours that you’ve spent that no one knows about and no one pays you for are not spent in vain.

You are investing in the future of my child, and for that I am forever grateful.

Courtney Schmidt is medical communications editor, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando, FL. She blogs at Illuminate.

P.S. I totally stand by the words penned down by the writer. This note from the beginning till end is hers, but they resonate my feelings as a mother word by word. My letter to Vrinda's teacher, as she commences the new chapter of her life, reflects a lot of these aspects. As she begins her Pre-School tomorrow, 12.01.2015, it also embarks me on a new journey, a new dimension and a new life. Tonight as she sleeps tight in her bed, all my heart goes out to my little angel, wishing her the best in the world of learning and education.