Opinion or fact??!

Ashwin was doing an assignment on adjectives where he has to classify adjectives based on whether they describe number, size, colour or is an opinion. He goes through words like Gigantic, Another, Creamy until he gets to PRETTY. He decides to try it out in a sentence to clarify.

 

"Amma is pretty. That is an opinion. Opinion is the answer" and marks a tick there.

 

There goes my vanity crashing to the floor :)

Time travelling with books

This is a book that I first checked out from the library in Karratha when Ashwin was 4. It is a lively book with repetitive phrases about a little boy who turns into a miniature superhero everytime he sneezes. I picked it up from the library again thinking Divya would like it.

 

As I read it, I was teleported back three years. I would sit on the floor to read with chubby Ashwin (hard to believe!) beside me and baby Divya on the infant rocker facing us. As I came to one of the many sneezes, which I exaggerated, (ACHOOOOOOOOOOO) , Divya would break into a laughter that shook her whole body and the rocker and caused us to pause the book and soak it in. She would then look at my face as I read the book, with eagerness and a MEGA laugh ready to erupt behind all her features, waiting for me to come to the next sneeze. Repeat that wonderful delicious laugh!

 

While I remembered the book, the story and the catch phrases in it very well, I had forgotten that associated baby laugh. As I read yesterday, for a minute, I was bewildered as to how the baby had been swapped by the little girl who was enjoying the book with me now. I time travelled. I looked into her face and recognised the sparkle of the eyes, the sweetness of the lips forming the laugh, the top class enjoyment of both the book and the cuddly reading time from three years ago. I looked to notice, capture, file away and be mesmerised. As I must have done all those years ago.

 

If I had a photo or even a video of that moment, the memory could not have been as vivid as the words in this book made them seem.

 

Reading is magic. In more ways than one!

Seeing Double

Yesterday, Divya was complaining of eye pain as soon as I got home. I washed her eye and patted it dry and sent her off with that.

 

At bedtime, she told me that her eyes were not hurting anymore and that she was seeing one of everything again.

 

!!?

 

What do you mean?

 

I was having eye pain because I was seeing 2 of everything today!

 

Why were you seeing 2 of everything??!

 

Because it is so much fun!

 

How do you see 2 of eevrything?

 

By doing THIS (making major eye squinting action!)

 

Let it never be said that this girl cannot entertain herself!

All's not lost when your child is 7

When Ashwin stopped saying "certi-ticket" and started saying certificate correctly, even though he went through a phase of certitificate, I was a bit sad because I now have only 1 child to provide me baby-talk entertainment.

 

Until, the other day, Ashwin told me about telling news in school..

 

He did not have time to take any questions, as he had to do lots of exclamations.

 

EXCLAMATIONS?

 

Yeah..

 

What does that mean?

 

It means telling lots of things about the places I have been to!

 

Yeah right! :) (not planning on correcting him for as long as I can!)

 

 

Of the first day of school.. And tears.

It was Divya's first day of school..

 

(How did she grow up so quickly? Who stole the time? Could they return it please.. Or keep it. Return. Nah, keep... I'll let you know when I make up my mind)

 

Given that I have an anxious girl, I was having premonitions of tears and stress, both hers and mine. To be fair, she did ask those questions about what can she do if someone beats her? kills her? What if she sees a cockroach in the class? Despite all this, on the morning of school, she was quite cheerful and happy and proud to be fitted out in a shiny new uniform, school bag and the works. She could not wait to get to school.. All went well as we went into the class room, met other children and the teachers, did a puzzle, read a book... Until the teacher called out:

 

Girls and boys, in 5 minutes, your mums and dads will leave...

 

And the tears started.

 

I left the room feeling quite anxious myself and stayed clutching my phone for all of the 2 hours and 40 minutes. What if the school called? What if she was still crying? Was she happy? I mean, really happy??!

 

I needn't have worried. She came out of the classroom full of smiles happy to have had a fun day in school. She was eager to go back the next school day and has been steadily enjoying school since.

 

And the crying?

 

When did you stop crying Divya, I asked.

 

When Mrs Perera made me.

 

How did she make you stop crying?

 

She said, all children stop crying, we are going to play some music.

 

And, just like that, she stopped crying.

 

Oh, the power of a kindergarten teacher!

 

 

The dead machines

In our library, we have 2 machines for DIY checkout that are almost always not working. They are also the high point of the trip to the library for the kids. So, inevitably, we spend several minutes trying to use them before queuing for the librarian.

Yestarday was no different. As we gave up on the machine, Ashwin observed,

Amma, these machines are not working.

Me: I know.

Ashwin: They are dead. See that sign there, it says dye borrowing.

DIY Borrowing!

How could we have missed this glaring sign before???!!

Divya speak

In the car y'day as we arrived at the swimming pool:

Divya: Wysmytweegoingyees

Me: What?

Divya: Wys my stwee going yeevs

Me (Panicking that I'd forgotten something at home!): Where's your what?

Divya: WYSMUS TWEES GOING YEEVS

Ashwin (Rolling his eyes at dumb me): Christmas trees growing leaves!

Thank goodness I have an interpreter!

A child's voice

We attended the Indian Independence Day celebrations in Perth and were treated to a colourful array of dances. The title of one of the dance numbers loosely translated to Beauty. The dancers, decked in lovely sarees with the pallu covering their faces came whirling out to catcalls and whistles from the audience.

"Who are they?", Divya asked.

"They are dancers Divya.. " I explained the obvious. (more whirling with pallu-covered face on stage)

"But what are they called??!" she demanded growing a teenie bit uneasy.

"I don''t know", I replied. (some more whirling. Same pallu-covered faces)

"ARE THEY MONSTERS???!" She shouted (thank God for the crowd noise!) before they threw open their pallus to show the "beauty"!

I can't not gloat about a moment (or several moments) of pride that happened earlier in the same show.

The show started with the Australian national anthem to pay respect to the host country. The audience was quiet while there were four singers on the stage singing from paper cues. It was in this almost awkward silence that Divya decided to showcase her knowledge. In a clear, loud, toddler voice, she went:

Austweyans aw yet us wejoice fo we are young and fwee....

What will I do when they grow up?

And I don't have a three year old daughter to throw open the door of the public restroom I am using (while I shout no No NOOO) and march out and crawl back in under the door???!

It will be a strange feeling to meet dignity again!

Divya & modesty don't go together...

Divya and I went to the supermarket in the weekend while Ashwin was at drama class. My normally cute daughter was still in her ballet clothes making her irresistably cute, even if I say so myself :)

An elderly gentleman smiled at us as I collected the trolley. We passed the same gentleman in the aisle and he remarked, "isn't it a pity they grow up? She is so cute!". My daughter stared him in the eye and replied:

"I'm not cute, I'm BEAUTIFUL"

(and later, she tried to explain him with: May be he knows only cute? He does not know beautiful?)