An open letter to the Mom who complained to me about my son…..

 

Dear Mom who complained to me...

You knocked on my door the other day, and asked me if my son had told me anything. When I looked clueless, you proceeded to inform me about what had conspired and culminated in my son kicking your child.

I want to thank you for bringing it to my notice. Else I wouldn’t have realised that my son lied to me. Covering up and burying a mistake that he made? Well surely that’s not normal.

The day that incident happened, I saw you discussing something in hushed tones with another mom. You became quiet as soon as I approached. I knew then that something had happened, and asked my son. But alas, he lied to me and acted as if nothing had happened!

Thank you for waiting three days to tell me about this incident. You went through the trouble to corroborate the incident with all the 6 boys who were playing together, and discussed with someone else’s Mom first before talking to me. If not for you, I would never have found out that my son lied to me.

Thank you for recounting to me the events that led to my child kicking yours. You told me in detail how all the kids were in a small tent, except my son, and how they weren’t being mean by not allowing him inside. There just wasn’t enough space! It helped me understand the situation much better.

Thank you for helping me realise , that my kid is probably going through a tough transition given that we moved countries, and I should spend even more time with him.

Thank you for telling me that he also tore a new tent that your boys had opened, and emphasising that it was brand new. Thank you for also declining my offer when I offered to buy a new one, and then when I insisted, thank you for saying that I could just buy the cheapest one available.

Thank you for highlighting this incident to me, if not for you, my son would never have learnt the consequence of lying to his parents. Thanks to you, I was able to tell my son, that he may do anything wrong outside, but he must must must tell his parents!

Thank you for making me realise that a group of 6 boys playing together with only a maid supervising them is a recipe for disaster. I should have learnt this two weeks back, when one of your boys hit my son in the head with a metal train. But, I was too busy letting children be children, to come and have a serious discussion with you.

Thank you for making me realise, that I want to stand by my son against the world in all his mistakes, and help him correct them, and never repeat them again. This helped us come much closer together.

And lastly, Thank you for complimenting my dress and telling me that I looked good at the end of the discussion. It really made my self-esteem soar.  

 

With love to Ma and Baba

For Ma, Baba.....
For every one who is a Mom and Dad..


You took me in each time and gave me shelter from the rain,
You shielded me as much as you could from all life's pain

No matter how far I was or how old I grew
I knew I could always come running to you

You never asked me how long I would stay
And when I decided to go you let me fly away

You smiled as I flew away despite my fears
I wonder where did you hide your tears

I know one day, you might shed your super power cape
I somehow want to that reality escape

I wonder if I have the strength to be the kind of parent you are
You just inspire me to keep raising the bar

Life gave me to you one day...
That day when you took me in for the first time
How difficult it must have been for you to give me back to life....

And although I fly away today, I take a bit of you with me..
I try to be the person you always wanted me to be..

I"ll be back soon, I tell you..
And not to seek shelter from the rain
It will be my turn to shield you from all the pain..
You say , I pray that day doesn't come..when you take over my job .
I smile and cry all at once, and count my blessings too

For You took me in each time...
And yet so easily you give me back to life..

Tiny Teachers

I first wrote this piece when Advay was two years old. Somehow, i wasnt able to find the right words to finish it, and was never happy with the ending. And yesterday, it all came together. I realised that Arjun made the ending happy and complete..

Read on..


A whirlwind romance, followed by a quick engagement and marriage and we began our lives together. Life continued in the fast lane, and soon after, I was pregnant. We were thrilled beyond belief.

Were we ready for a child? How would we manage? We never thought about those things.

As we waited for his arrival, we thought of the numerous things we would teach him. 

Our life turned around 360 degrees after Advay was born.  We got home on time, saved up money to buy a new house and spent more time with each other.  Our business designations took a backseat, as we tried to live up to our new designations.

We learnt to treasure little moments; his first smile,  signs that his fever was going away, and his first words.

We learnt that we could do far more than we were capable of. He brought out the best in us.

We learnt that there was life beyond work, and found out who we really were.

We learnt what life was all about, when our tiny teacher showed up.

After 6 fun years of learning, another tiny teacher, Arjun arrived. Our lessons with him started right after his birth. A minor complication sent him to the ICU directly.

We tapped into inner reservoirs of strength, when he slept alone on his first night in this world.

We learnt patience and trust as we waited eagerly for him to be with us.

As he grows a little every day, he is teaching us a lot more.

He is teaching us to smile, for no reason in the whole world.

As we see him try again to roll over, we are learning never to give up.

As he cries loudly, and suddenly starts to smile after seeing his favourite toy, we are learning that we too can smile more often.

As both our tiny teachers play with each other, we are learning that our true joy comes from giving, nurturing and building a life.

So, to our tiny teachers, and our beloved sons; You wont be tiny for long, but you will always be our teachers, and the lessons learnt will stay deep in our hearts forever.