Most of the time I come to know that my kids are growing up by the conversation they have with their friends, sibling(s) and with Mo or me.

Last night when Ashmit went off to sleep, Aru wanted to have a private conversation with me. So it started like this…

Aru: Mamma, what is a ‘date’. I am not talking about the date we eat or the date on the calender.

Me (having no clue at all): Well, I guess I am not able to get it. Can you please explain me with an example!?

Aru: I saw in a movie, the girl says “I am getting late for a date”

Did not know what to say, how to say in this bizarre situation. Was also wondering, when did she watch this movie as we allow her to watch only kids’ movies. Anyway, I had to answer this and my rules have always been to give the true answer. Though this one had to be little filtered.

Me: Date is when a girl goes out with a boy for lunch or dinner or a movie or a cup of tea or coffee etc etc.

Aru: Goes with a boy or a boyfriend?

Me(didn’t want to answer this but…): With a boyfriend

Aru: whats the difference between a boy as a friend and a boyfriend?

Me (felt like screaming…SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME HERE!!!): We usually end up marrying our boyfriend but we can’t marry a boy who is just our friend.

Aru: So when is the right age for dating?

Me (!!!!!!!!!!!!!): Well, when the education finishes and you start working. (mother’s instinct takes over here)

Aru: Why?

Me: Because you can’t marry before that. Can you?

Aru: I know that!!! Goodnight!

Thank God for the last answer!! Hope she sticks to it!! It was too much for me to hear it from a 11 year old.

A few days back, during the night time, I was quite tired when Ashmit demanded for his night night story. I was in no mood to read a story so we settled for a made up story.  I started the story… Once there was a monkey called Curious. He was playing near a place where the woodcutter was cutting the branches. Then after some time, the woodcutter went for his lunch. Curious went to the place where the man was working and started jumping from one trunk to the other. His mom said “Curious come back from that place or you can get hurt!”  But Curious did not listen to her. There was one trunk that was cut from the middle. Now when he was jumping, one of his leg got stuck in that trunk. Curious tried hard to take out his leg. And when finally he succeeded, his leg broke.

Me: So what is the moral of the story?

Ashmit: We should listen to our mom. I did not like the story! It is a dangerous story! If I was telling this story to you, I would had said that Curious took out his leg without breaking it. Did the monkey leave his broken leg in the trunk!?

Me: No, broken leg means a bone getting broken.

Ashmit : Then what do we do?

Me: We go to a doctor who joins the bone through an operation

Ashmit: How does he do the operation?

Me: (Now this was a tricky question. If I answered that, then there was a fare chance of him trying it out one day). Mmmmm, I don’t know!

Ashmit: I know! The doctor takes out the leg from the body…then he takes out the bone…joins the bone…put it back into the leg and then sticks the leg with the fevicol.

Me: Wow! I never knew that!   Night night!!

It’s been long time since I wrote a proper post. Today it feels as if I’m writing for the first time. But could not help not writing this conversation.

Last weekend, while I was resting, Ashmit was busy playing some game on computer. He comes to me saying

Ashmit: Mamma, what’s my password?

Me : How am I suppose to know?!!

Ashmit : My game is asking for password.

Me: It’s your game, you must be knowing it!

Ashmit: But what does password mean?

Me : Well, password are secret words that people write there to make the game their own game. Like someone can write ‘I AM GOD’

Ashmit: whats the spelling of human being?

Me: why!!?

Ashmit: because ‘I AM A HUMAN BEING’

I wish children could remain innocent forever!! Today they grow so fast that by the age of 10 they are already teenagers.

Today, while I was working in my room and Ashmit watching Dora The Explorer in the living room, I heard this…

Dora: Say Map, Say Map, Say Map

Ashmit: I WON’T

Dora: Can you see the rain forest? Where is it?

Ashmit: I don’t know

Dora: Theeeere, Thanks for helping

Dora: Can you see the swiper?

Ashmit: NO

Dora: Swiper no swiping. swiper no swiping, swiper no swiping

Ashmit: OH MAAAAAN

Dora: Did you like doing xxxxxx. Which one was your favourite?

Ashmit: None, all boring

Dora: I liked that too

Ashmit: Ahhh! I should watch Oggy and the cockroaches (channel changes).

This Rakhi was very special for Aru. We planned to put Mehndi on our hands. It was a special moment for her because she got it done for the first time.

Thanks Ms. T for taking the pix!

Paase Sabhi Ulat Gaye Dushman Ki Chal Ke,
Akshar Sabhi Palat Gaye Bharat Ke Bhal Ke,
Manjil Pe Aaya Mulk Har Bala Ko Taal Ke,
Sadiyon Ke Baad Fir Ude Badal Gulal Ke,

Hum Laye Hain Tufan Se Kashti Nikal Ke,
Is Desh Ko Rakhna Mere Bachchon Sambhal Ke,
Tum Hi Bhavishya Ho Mere Bharat Vishal Ke,
Is Desh Ko Rakhna Mere Bachchon Sambhal Ke,

Duniya Ke Daav-Pench Se Rakhna Na Vasta,
Manzil Tumhaari Door Hai,Lamba Hai Rasta,
Bhaatka Na De Koi Tumhe Dhoke Me Daal Ke,
Is Desh Ko Rakhna Mere Bachchon Sambhal Ke,

Atom Bombon Ke Jor Pe Ainthi Hai Ye Duniya,
Barood Ke Ek Dher Pe Baithi Hai Ye Duniya,
Tum Har Kadam Uthana Jara Sambhal Ke,
Is Desh Ko Rakhna Mere Bachchon Sambhal Ke,

Aaram Ki Tum Bhul-Bhulaiya Me Na Bhulo,
Sapno Ke Hindolon Me Magan Ho Ke Na Jhulo,
Ab Waqt Aa Gaya Mere Hanste Hue Phoolon,
Uththo Chalang Maar Ke Aakash Ko Choo Lo,
Tum Gaad To Gagan Me Tiranga Uchal Ke,
Is Desh Ko Rakhna Mere Bachchon Sambhal Ke

Yesterday was Aru’s 10th birthday. All the people at home and outside had only one thing to tell her that she is a BIG girl now. I don’t know whether she liked to hear that or not but she did enjoy her party with her friends. This was her last birthday with her existing school friends as she will move to another school after two weeks. Her friends and she were quite hopeful that they will stay in touch FOREVER  and I hope they really do because I know how upset she was to be separated from her school friends in UK.

On her birthday I only wish that she grows up into a happy and cheerful Lady and God’s blessings are always with her.

Happy Birthday Aru

Last weekend, World Book Fair started in Delhi. We were desperately waiting for it since last one month and were hoping everything stayed fine till the day came. But as always, something has to go wrong. Aru fell ill with viral a day before the fair.  We decided that Mo should go to the fair with T, who was accompanying us, and I would go with kids the next weekend. Aru didn’t like the idea because she was equally excited for this day. At night time she said, “Mamma we can go there for a while? I think I will be much better by tomorrow morning”. I thought of taking a call in the morning

In the morning, none of us could control the excitement. So we said that we would go to the fair after lunch for 2-3 hours keeping Aru’s illness in mind.

The moment we entered the hall, all of us forgot about the plan and we started drooling over the books. Maybe the smell of the books is so intoxicating that one can’t think of anything. We ended up buying 47 books, including 23 books for Aru and 15 for Ashmit.

Mo wanted to meet Sidin Vadukut whose book Dork was releasing that day at Penguin store. We went there and bought quite a lot of books including Roald Dahl, Ruskin Bond and of course Dork. We met this charming man, Sidin and got the book Dork signed by him.

As we ambled from one store to the other we reached Roopa store. I was surprised to see Nancy Drew for kids of Aru’s age. I really loved Nancy Drew when I was young. This new book comes by the name ‘Nancy Drew Note Books’. There we also saw this interesting book from Ruskin Bond that had two stories, with the stories starting from opposite sides, that is, one side has one story and the other side of the book has the other story. I picked one book from there, as I am a big fan of Ruskin Bond stories; I can’t stop buying them for Aru.

When we were finished with the payment, Mo noticed that Mr. Ruskin Bond was there himself in the store. I hurriedly took out both the books (one from Penguin store and one from Roopa) and asked Aru to get it signed. Aru, with a puzzled look on her face, went to him and asked for the signature. It was such an amazing moment for all of us. I could not take my eyes off from him and could not believe that he was actually there. He complemented Aru by saying ‘you are a real reader’.

With the joy of meeting Ruskin Bond, we came home after spending 5 hours shopping for books. Aru was not satisfied and asked me to come again so that she could buy books of her choice ONLY. So let’s see if we can go there on this Sunday, the last day of World Book Fair.

Today Aru didn’t go to school, hence when Ashmit came home from the school, he was not expecting to find his sister at home. I don’t know why, but he suddenly started behaving in a strange manner like running, laughing, not ready to change clothes etc. So, to slow him down I started asking him about his day at school, but he was not ready to answer that. After failing to get any answer to my several questions, I thought of telling him about me. So I started~Do you know what didi and I did today? Immediately he was quiet and still with big open eyes~What? I grabbed the opportunity and started opening his jacket to change his clothes…

Me~ Didi and I peeled 5 kgs of peas

Ashmit stood still with an expression, ok! I am listening, go ahead

Me~ Didi was a great helper!!

Ashmit (almost half undressed)~ I WANT TO BE THE GREAT HELPER. boooohoooo!!!! (And threw himself on the bed)

Me~ Yes, you can by helping me change your clothes

Ashmit (still crying)~ NO NOT THIS HELP SOME OTHER GREAT HELP. booohoooo!!!

Me~ Ok, I will let you do great help. Let’s change the clothes and become clean.

NOoo,  NOW!!!

I understood there was no point talking on it anymore, hence I thought of changing the topic. I remembered, I had asked Ashmit in the morning not to take off his jacket today as he was not wearing any woollen inside and if his teacher asks him to do so during the exercise class, he should tell her the same.

Me (with my open arms)~ Did you feel warm in the jacket today

Ashmit (wiping his tears, comes near me)~ No, and when ma’am asked me to take it off, I told her that I am not wearing woollen inside.

Me~ Oh! You remembered to say that!? I am so proud of you!

Ashmit (grinning)~ Are you a majesty? heehee

Me (!!!!)~ No, why?

Ashmit ~ Because you are saying I am proud of you and the king in Chotta Bheem says that and he doesn’t have a crown and you also don’t wear a crown…

(one mission complete; clothes changed; Yippee!)

Me (interrupting him)~ Alright, let’s have our lunch now. I am starving!

Ashmit~ I don’t want to eat now. I want to play with didi

Me~ Didi will also have her lunch now.

Ashmit~ Ok! You and didi eat, I will play alone

Me thinking, Is there any end to this!!!!

Another strategic conversation for another mission continues…

A few days back, Aru and Ashmit were watching a movie called Bhootnath. In one of the scene, the kid in the movie gets slapped by his mom with a loud background sound Chatak and at this, Bhootnath (who can only be seen by the kid) says “aise koi bachche ko marta hai kya?” (Should one hit a kid like that?).

Ashmit who was sitting and enjoying the movie, suddenly stood up, still and with a blank face. I asked him what happened and the moment I asked him this, he started crying and came to me saying “I don’t like this movie. boohoooo. They (tv) should not show this movie. He (the kid) only wanted bhootnath to come in front of his mom. Why did she hit him!? booohooo“. Then he left the room and I was also pulled along as if these kinds of scenes are not meant for me; they can spoil me.