Happy Holidays everyone! Hope the Christmas vacation is coming along nicely..
I've been waiting for these holidays since the past few months. It has been a hectic year for us as I started working after a considerable gap. Adjusting to the routine of the new job, toddler daycare and buying a house.. feels like a long year..
My parents and sister are visiting from India and my youngest sister from Idaho is here for her winter holidays.. And we had all these trips planned but guess what?! My husband and I are down with cold, cough, eye infections. The winter is being a little severe this year. The travel plans look a little shaky for now and I feel slightly disappointed. But hopefully the holidays won't end by the time we get better!!
I still like this time of the year.. it is festive all around, people seem generally nicer - It is probably because we feel relaxed and that reflects in our attitude as well :-) These holidays must be a way of preparing and re-energizing us for the next year.
So, hope all of you have unwinding and a renewing holiday spending time with your friends, family & loved ones.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Yesteryears
The other day somebody sent me an email forward about a glimpse of our Doordarshan and life of 70s, 80s & 90s in our desi land. The days of Humlog, Buniyaad, Bharat ek khoj, He-man, Space city Sigma with the villainous Zhakhakhu(?!) and ofcourse Dekh Bhai Dekh, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Surabhi..... Remember those days??? Aahhh, nostalgia....
Then there was the all-time hit Mahabharat. I remember translating each episode to my grandma who didn't understand Hindi but was a huge fan of the serial as wall all of India at the time - who really believed Nitesh Bharadwaj had descended from heaven to give darshan and cleanse our poor souls! And her grumbling during the commercials about the immoral, sinful ads being shown in the middle of our great mythological epic. Hmmm... wonderful days :-)
Remember when our parents and grand-parents talked about their old-golden days, we sighed and rolled our eyes?! It is hard to believe that we are ready to reminisce about our childhood and I already can imagine the look (sigh & roll-eyes) on our kids faces when we start about our wonder years! Just to jog the memory of people from the doordarshan era - here are some pictures from our beloved DD. Thinking of those days always make me smile and hopefully will do for you too! Enjoy..
Then there was the all-time hit Mahabharat. I remember translating each episode to my grandma who didn't understand Hindi but was a huge fan of the serial as wall all of India at the time - who really believed Nitesh Bharadwaj had descended from heaven to give darshan and cleanse our poor souls! And her grumbling during the commercials about the immoral, sinful ads being shown in the middle of our great mythological epic. Hmmm... wonderful days :-)
Remember when our parents and grand-parents talked about their old-golden days, we sighed and rolled our eyes?! It is hard to believe that we are ready to reminisce about our childhood and I already can imagine the look (sigh & roll-eyes) on our kids faces when we start about our wonder years! Just to jog the memory of people from the doordarshan era - here are some pictures from our beloved DD. Thinking of those days always make me smile and hopefully will do for you too! Enjoy..
Friday, October 24, 2008
Turning two!
I always thought too much of noise was made out of kids turning two. Remember how people raise their eyebrows with an all knowing sympathetic nod when you tell them your toddler's age?! Well, the phrase 'terrible twos and threes' does start at two.
When my baby turned two, nothing happened! He still was his usual shy and soft-spoken who would not be more than couple of feet away wherever we went. Shopping was heaven! Days passed and I almost started telling everyone about the myth of terrible twos. And then a month or so later, our sweet, adorable son threw a huge tantrum for no apparent reason. Ofcourse, it wasn't terrible or anything but nonetheless out of routine and a surprise to us. That day we were busy learning the next steps of discipline - being calm and firm at the same time.
My husband and I got to talking about this episode a couple of days later and thoughtfully agreed that we may have gotten a peak at the terrible twos. Parents regard their little one’s first birthday as a favorable milestone but tend to treat their turning two with negativism. But when you look at it from the other side of the fence, it doesn't take long to realize how absolutely amazing these kids in their terrible twos and threes are! It is incredible to see how quickly they pick up things and soak in everything they see like a sponge. And their energy?! We all wonder how and where they manage to gather so much energy from the morsels of food they eat! But then they are two :-) Guess it is this lethal combination of the immense energy and the ability to absorb what they see, makes things a little harder to manage.
Also, us parents have the tendency of attributing the good things our kids do to the family whereas all the misdeeds to their school and friends. I remember how we instantly blamed the school after our son's first major tantrum that he was learning from looking at other kids doing it. And it is probably true to an extent. The challenge is to try and get our kids to be better and better while they still experience the situations and surroundings. And I'm sure this a test we have to take everyday for a long time to come.. So, best of luck parents!
When my baby turned two, nothing happened! He still was his usual shy and soft-spoken who would not be more than couple of feet away wherever we went. Shopping was heaven! Days passed and I almost started telling everyone about the myth of terrible twos. And then a month or so later, our sweet, adorable son threw a huge tantrum for no apparent reason. Ofcourse, it wasn't terrible or anything but nonetheless out of routine and a surprise to us. That day we were busy learning the next steps of discipline - being calm and firm at the same time.
My husband and I got to talking about this episode a couple of days later and thoughtfully agreed that we may have gotten a peak at the terrible twos. Parents regard their little one’s first birthday as a favorable milestone but tend to treat their turning two with negativism. But when you look at it from the other side of the fence, it doesn't take long to realize how absolutely amazing these kids in their terrible twos and threes are! It is incredible to see how quickly they pick up things and soak in everything they see like a sponge. And their energy?! We all wonder how and where they manage to gather so much energy from the morsels of food they eat! But then they are two :-) Guess it is this lethal combination of the immense energy and the ability to absorb what they see, makes things a little harder to manage.
Also, us parents have the tendency of attributing the good things our kids do to the family whereas all the misdeeds to their school and friends. I remember how we instantly blamed the school after our son's first major tantrum that he was learning from looking at other kids doing it. And it is probably true to an extent. The challenge is to try and get our kids to be better and better while they still experience the situations and surroundings. And I'm sure this a test we have to take everyday for a long time to come.. So, best of luck parents!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Toddler-talk
It is one of those precious moments when your little one starts to form words and sentences. I have been waiting for my little one to start talking from even before he was born. It is an amazing experience when you listen to those little ones explain with their wide eyes with all the wonder in the world.
Once they start talking, it is easier for the parents to share the progress of the kids with their near and dear ones. And so begins the fun part of prompting their children to spell out all they know - alphabet, numbers, rhymes etc. etc.. Especially on the phone, imagine the person at the other end waiting patiently for those cute words pop out when our little hero decides to zip his mouth. It is after a while that the persistent parents are willing to give up in the hands of a stubborn toddler. Remember the times when our parents pained us to sing/dance/or whatever for an audience? I still roll my eyes thinking of those moments! But as a parent, I don't really mind being exactly the way our parents were :-) Go figure!
But there are times when kids become talkative. My little one is going through one of those phases now. He is fascinated with the telephone - not his toy one, mind you! It is probably not so much the coversation that interests him as much as holding the receiver to his ear and pacing teh room while mumbling 'hmm's and 'yah's. It is very cute when he is telling his grandparents that he wants a 'helicopter car' or a 'baby computer'. But when you have something important to talk or if it is an international call, try telling him a minute of his talk is enough!
Kids, huh?!!
Once they start talking, it is easier for the parents to share the progress of the kids with their near and dear ones. And so begins the fun part of prompting their children to spell out all they know - alphabet, numbers, rhymes etc. etc.. Especially on the phone, imagine the person at the other end waiting patiently for those cute words pop out when our little hero decides to zip his mouth. It is after a while that the persistent parents are willing to give up in the hands of a stubborn toddler. Remember the times when our parents pained us to sing/dance/or whatever for an audience? I still roll my eyes thinking of those moments! But as a parent, I don't really mind being exactly the way our parents were :-) Go figure!
But there are times when kids become talkative. My little one is going through one of those phases now. He is fascinated with the telephone - not his toy one, mind you! It is probably not so much the coversation that interests him as much as holding the receiver to his ear and pacing teh room while mumbling 'hmm's and 'yah's. It is very cute when he is telling his grandparents that he wants a 'helicopter car' or a 'baby computer'. But when you have something important to talk or if it is an international call, try telling him a minute of his talk is enough!
Kids, huh?!!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Birthday philosophy
It was my cousin's birthday the other day. He is at one of those ages: great job, nice car, carefree life and too happy! You guessed right - time to tie the knot!! Sometimes one starts to get a little philosophical when pressure builds up. And here is what he had to say about each birthdays (till 28th).
And with my little further experience, I couldn't help adding a couple more at the end. Hopefully you'll get a sense of deja vu too as I did reading through.. :-)
Birthday events through the eyes/vision of Prashant:
1st - Hey!!! welcome to the world, the world is sooo great, life is beautiful!!!
2nd - Anniversary for the first birthday
3rd - Boy I am glad you passed the terrible twos
4th - When are you starting school?
5th
6th
7th - The middle years
8th
9th
10th - Are you sure you didn't eat paint chips when you were young?
..
..
13th Birthday - Who?
..
..
16th - If gender = female print "Happy Sweet 16" Else print "Tough luck, get a job"
..
18th - Light one up and join the army
..
20th - About time you graduated from college, now you can pay your loans
21st - Drink it up
..
23rd - Get a job
24th - Get a real job
25th - Get a real job that pays you money
..
..
28th - Get a wife????
Additions by Shalini:
29th - When are you having a baby?
30th - Are you planning on buying a house? (Actually it is, when are you going to be buried deep in debt?)
31st - 2nd baby?
........ will let you know how the later birthdays turn out to be!!
And with my little further experience, I couldn't help adding a couple more at the end. Hopefully you'll get a sense of deja vu too as I did reading through.. :-)
Birthday events through the eyes/vision of Prashant:
1st - Hey!!! welcome to the world, the world is sooo great, life is beautiful!!!
2nd - Anniversary for the first birthday
3rd - Boy I am glad you passed the terrible twos
4th - When are you starting school?
5th
6th
7th - The middle years
8th
9th
10th - Are you sure you didn't eat paint chips when you were young?
..
..
13th Birthday - Who?
..
..
16th - If gender = female print "Happy Sweet 16" Else print "Tough luck, get a job"
..
18th - Light one up and join the army
..
20th - About time you graduated from college, now you can pay your loans
21st - Drink it up
..
23rd - Get a job
24th - Get a real job
25th - Get a real job that pays you money
..
..
28th - Get a wife????
Additions by Shalini:
29th - When are you having a baby?
30th - Are you planning on buying a house? (Actually it is, when are you going to be buried deep in debt?)
31st - 2nd baby?
........ will let you know how the later birthdays turn out to be!!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Happy Mother's Day
Happy Mother's day to all the mothers out there!
The day of celebrating and honoring mothers for all their love and well, for just being mothers!!
You know, there always has been a special bond between mothers and children. Remember the universal mother stuff that we've all have heard from our mothers one time or another?
* Don't make that face or it'll freeze in that position.
* What if everyone jumped off a cliff? Would you do it, too?
* If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
* Don't put that in your mouth; you don't know where it's been!
Fond memories, huh?!!
Now when I think about it, here is an interesting observation..
With younger kids, mothers wouldn't mind a little time off from their babies on mother's day but when their little ones grow older, mothers sure would want to spend the day with them..
Anyway, all the smiles in the world on their day of indulgence.. Here is to all mothers!!
The day of celebrating and honoring mothers for all their love and well, for just being mothers!!
You know, there always has been a special bond between mothers and children. Remember the universal mother stuff that we've all have heard from our mothers one time or another?
* Don't make that face or it'll freeze in that position.
* What if everyone jumped off a cliff? Would you do it, too?
* If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
* Don't put that in your mouth; you don't know where it's been!
Fond memories, huh?!!
Now when I think about it, here is an interesting observation..
With younger kids, mothers wouldn't mind a little time off from their babies on mother's day but when their little ones grow older, mothers sure would want to spend the day with them..
Anyway, all the smiles in the world on their day of indulgence.. Here is to all mothers!!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Hyper-parenting
"You don't want the kids to be seeking approval of the parents all their lives. You want them to know themselves, challenge you and make you grow as parents"
This is a part of the conversation I happened to listen on NPR about Hyper-parenting. It was an interesting topic as I've never heard of it before. We always talk about kids being hyper but parents?! The program was about micro-managing our kids and trying to find the balance between too much and too less of parenting.
It was an interesting perspective. Because as parents, we all want to be involved in all aspects of our children's activities in part to protect them and probably in part to make ourselves as the integral part of their lives. We never think if we ever are going too far. The program mentions that in helping the kids with their stuff all the time, will make them dependable and incapable of making their own decisions in future. I thought that was rather a heavy statement. But maybe it is true. Sometimes, we have to let them figure out things on their own. I remember when I was young, I didn't always like people telling me what and how to do - yeah, at times even my parents too! But as a parent, sometimes I have to make an effort not to help out my son when he is making an effort. It is hard!!
I know that it is instinctive for the parents to help their kids. But all the time and every time is probably not a good idea. The program mentioned of the instances where the employees actually brought their parents for salary negotiations, employee redressal etc.. I thought that was a little extreme! But ever wondered how and when it might have started? Hmmm...
20 years ago kids used to walk to school all the time even here in the US. But these days, parents drop their kids to school even it is a quarter-mile away. I guess, it is easy to roll our eyes and think that it was different in our time. But maybe it also stems from the world itself being not as safe as it used to be. Well, they all are shades of gray! To reflect upon our parenting and whether there is a need to bring about stability is definitely something to think about!
This is a part of the conversation I happened to listen on NPR about Hyper-parenting. It was an interesting topic as I've never heard of it before. We always talk about kids being hyper but parents?! The program was about micro-managing our kids and trying to find the balance between too much and too less of parenting.
It was an interesting perspective. Because as parents, we all want to be involved in all aspects of our children's activities in part to protect them and probably in part to make ourselves as the integral part of their lives. We never think if we ever are going too far. The program mentions that in helping the kids with their stuff all the time, will make them dependable and incapable of making their own decisions in future. I thought that was rather a heavy statement. But maybe it is true. Sometimes, we have to let them figure out things on their own. I remember when I was young, I didn't always like people telling me what and how to do - yeah, at times even my parents too! But as a parent, sometimes I have to make an effort not to help out my son when he is making an effort. It is hard!!
I know that it is instinctive for the parents to help their kids. But all the time and every time is probably not a good idea. The program mentioned of the instances where the employees actually brought their parents for salary negotiations, employee redressal etc.. I thought that was a little extreme! But ever wondered how and when it might have started? Hmmm...
20 years ago kids used to walk to school all the time even here in the US. But these days, parents drop their kids to school even it is a quarter-mile away. I guess, it is easy to roll our eyes and think that it was different in our time. But maybe it also stems from the world itself being not as safe as it used to be. Well, they all are shades of gray! To reflect upon our parenting and whether there is a need to bring about stability is definitely something to think about!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Becoming grandparents
What is it about becoming grandparents?
They tend to become the exact opposites of when they were just parents. They are so happy being manipulated by their grandchildren. It is interesting to see them cheerfully agreeing to the things that they’ve always said ‘No’ to us, their children! And don’t forget about reproaching the parents for doing exactly the same things to their grandkids that they have done to us. Hmm.. no wonder they become soft in their old age!
I've heard somewhere that it is wonderful being grand parents. They can pamper the grandkids as much as they want and by the end of the tiring day, they can send the kids to their parents!!!!
Yup, looks like all fun and not much responsibility :-) Not bad, huh? Grandparents become the children's champions and the poor parents end up being the bad guys. Guess that is how the system works! Well, I am not complaining too much as we have had our share of pampering from our grandparents, defending us from our parents and there is nothing like it!!!
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