Miracle Garden

My son wanted to participate in a story telling competition in school. The Only condition was that it should be self-written story. I discussed with sonny boy and he wanted to write something about trees/nature. And so we started…..

There is this divinely beautiful miracle garden I saw. It had tall huge gates made of gold. Solid strong brick walls layered with colourful creepers. This mesmerised me. I lightly touched the gates and it opened welcoming me inside. Oh! What a sight to behold.

Too much time on hand!

Before becoming a parent I was not so social. General chit chat with someone didn’t really interest me. But well things change after one becomes a parent. The other parents become our friends and child related events namely play dates or birthday parties become our idea of socialisation. No I am not excited; I am just about recovering from this shock. You can’t beat them join them.

Looking at the brighter side, I get a lot of insight into human relations, expectation from child/spouse etc. from these interactions. I learn most of my parenting lessons or shocks from other parents. More shocks than lessons in fact. My ideas of parenting don’t really fit the ‘norm’.

Whose career is it anyways?

I often hear parents saying that it’s a competitive world. Choice of career and getting into a good stream is tough etc. In this light they pressurise the children as early as 5^th grade. This takes a toll on not just the children but also the entire family. People have a restrictive vision when it comes to career choice, say medicine, engineering, MBA etc. Of late I have come across so many parents talking of career counselling, aptitude test etc. for children as young as 10 years. It completely scares me and makes me wonder if these kids have a childhood at all. First there was the craze of medical and engineering entrance, then came along the IIMs and IITs followed by the latest integrated college; and now the baap of all coaching for the admissions into integrated college. This coaching happens for the children of about 6^th or 7^th grade!

Have we all gone completely nuts? We expect the child to be a super human; go to school, do the school homework, take school tests and also coaching to get into a goddamn integrated college whose future is not really known to many. This not just takes a toll on the kid’s health but I think we are putting together a production unit of zombies!

Parenthood – What’s your reason?

Aah! You clicked the link and reached the blog! Awesome read on.

I believe our society is very nosey! Yeah everyone spends a lot of time and energy trying to understand what someone else is up to. 

The newlyweds barely complete one month anniversary and get asked when they will expand their family??

Man proposes child disposes – Vacation.

Man proposes child disposes – Vacation.

Yes you read it right! Man proposes child disposes. Ever since I have become a parent my god seems to have changed or moved its energy into my child. As much as it is fun, fulfilling and enjoyable being around this demi god; it is tough and difficult. Just like finding THE god!

All my choices revolve around my child ever since I have become a parent. Choice of quitting a job, holidays, selection of school everything and anything has the intention of his highest good. And this is what happens to my choices….

So we are all excited and set for our first vacation on the event of his first birthday with this demi god! We book the train tickets, hotel etc.. all set as to what to expect etc… The moment we reach the train station our little one who rarely cried in his first year of existence, starts howling uncontrollably. We are left hapless. The train we are expected to board arrives at the platform and leaves and we decide to drop the trip. On our way back home the moment we leave the railway station this demi god laughs like it is his biggest victory!

Our jaws drop in amazement!! Till date we have no clue why this child cried so much.

And yes that’s why I say – Man proposes child disposes.

This is the first in the series. Do drop a line if you wish to read some more on this series.

A Five point guide to getting back to a schedule on the event of school re-opening.

The summer break is over and schools have re-opened. I know it’s both a relief and a struggle to get back to the old schedule. Both parents and children struggle to get back. Here five points to help you get into the groove. You read it right just five point will do the trick.

1.       Start the previous night:

Absolutely! One of the secrets to a peaceful morning is to prepare the previous night. Below are few thing you could finish off the previous night

a.       Menu: Plan the menu. You have a lot of meals to plan for namely breakfast, lunch, tiffins for school and office and also dinner. So decide either in your head or paper what food will be served the next day. Infact if you could do this for the entire week then its perfect. Since then you could also do the vegetable and fruits shopping accordingly.

b.      Clothes: Many schools now have upto 4 uniforms a year [I wonder why]. But if your child goes to such a school then it’s a great idea to determine the next day’s uniform, check if it is laundered/ironed etc. Incase of office going parents, good idea to plan your own clothes as well. This gives you a few minutes of peace in the morning rush hour

c.       Important knick-knacks:  Set out your important knick-knacks like mobile, laptop, handkerchiefs, house keys, glares , child’s shoes, caps, etc and keep it handy. Ideally you should have a set place for these items.

2.       Early to bed:

A good night’s sleep is extremely important. Every child’s needs are different. But an average 8-10 hours of sleep is a must for the child. Ensure you have a set bed time, and the child starts winding down at a certain time every night. This makes it easy for the child to slip into sleep easily and without tantrums. I am not getting into bed-time routine like bath, story-telling etc. since it’s different for different households.

3.       Morning routine:

It’s a good idea to wake up an hour before waking up your child. Take the time to clear your thoughts, do few light stretches, breathing exercises, start off the kitchen work etc. Basically get the ball rolling before your little one wakes up. Next the child. Children need more time than adults to start their chores. Hence it’s a good idea to wake them up atleast hour and half before they have to leave for school. This gives them enough time for their chores and also spend enough time with parents.

4.       Alarms and reminder:

Alarms and reminders work like a charm. Use them on a day to day basis to keep track of, the to do list like medicines, assignments, submission dates etc. Reminders can be physical say sticky notes or on mobile phones. So do use these. 

5.       Prepare the kids and show some excitement:

I believe it is important to prepare your child atleast a week in advance. Discuss the re-opening date, list things to be bought like uniform, school bag, other accessories etc. Do it in advance. Show some excitement, make the child interested in the new academic year tell them fun things they can do at school. DO NOT share your stress with the child. Doesn’t help anyone.

These are a few guidelines, trust they help you. Do share stories of the school reopening and your coping mechanism. Do share your thoughts on this article in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you.

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