MUMblings!

Hannu my chweetoooo U R Growing………Though I enjoy seeing your pranks as you grow, I want the time to freeze.. I want my chotu to me mine forever..So selfish Amma.

Hannu, as a working mother I miss you so much. There are no words to express my feelings. But we both share a bond,bond of a mom and child which ties up our feelings.

Most important drawback as a working mother is missing her childs development. Homemakers are blessed that way.

I know you miss me much dear. We are actually blessed Hannu. Me being working, we have support system (Grandparents) to take care of you. Otherwise it would have been even worser. Both maternal and paternal grandparents look after you with much care and affection. They are ready to do whatever to whatever extent to make you happy. No regrets on that part.

Am I making excuses? But as mother, I have been unfair to you. I agree. Leaving a three months old and going to work. I feel guilty for my act. My heart breaks whenever you approach me saying ‘amma pick me up’, (even though I wish to do that before you say) I reply to you ‘Hannu! Amma is busy,go and play’ / ‘Hannu! Amma is busy,go and watch cartoon’. What to do I have to cope up with time. And I am overwhelmed at times when you say ‘Bye Amma’, whenever I start to office. You know that its time for amma to go and she will be back in the evening. How adjusting you are. And the joy I see in your face whenever I come home in the evenings, it expresses how much you have missed me and how much you are longing to see me. Believe me whatever I am doing is for your sake. I promise you my son I will spend more time with you.

I am 20 months old toddler. Want to know my likes and dislikes. Here you go.

Things I like:

• To say ‘it is not nice’ with a cute dimpled smile in my face
• Getting out of the house and running straight away to the terrace whenever I miss out attention.
• ‘MILK’ my all time favourite.
• Playing in water
• Ditching my toys and using mobile phones, remote control for playing. ‘Mama why do u buy toys for me when u have mobile phones and remote controls’.
• Going to neighbours house and using the toy’s at their house for playing, even though I have loads of toys at home. Happiness on this great..Wht say!
• Chocolates and Biscuits

Things I dont like:

• Having to answer whenever mama ask me questions in front of strangers.
• Strangers picking me up.
• Having to drink my fav. milk in cup. Curse those crows which took away my bottle.
• Rainy days, as I have to miss my morning and evening walks.

I am proud of my Manni (Grandma). We call our grandma as manni. Somehow the name stick to her. All her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren call her ‘Manni’. She is in her 70’s now. Born as a daughter of businessman, she had a luxirious life till the age of 12. Being born on a period where girls got married at the earliest, she got married to my grandpa at 12. My grandpa’s family is very big. He had 7 siblings and he was the eldest. You can imagine being the eldest daughter in-law, what responsibilites she had to shoulder. I wonder when I listen to her stories. She herself had 7 children.

Gone through various phases in life, still she never complains about her life. She is happy about what she has got and still approaches life with same enthusiasm. I bow my head to this GREAT WOMAN and i am proud to be you granddaughter ‘Manni’.

You’ll never meet anyone like her… my mother… she’s a one of a kind person. She’s stubborn, highly opinionated, nagging and not so broad minded … but still she manages to be my hero… a person so full of love, concern, life and passion. Sometimes I think of her as a big walking talking oxymoron!

I used to be the quintessential troublesome child. My dad worked abroad and mom, my brother and I lived here in India. Being a single working parent of two must have been hard, I have now come to realize.

As I grew, we had different opinions and I grew more distant from her. Like any other mother and daughter, we argued all the time. We still do (“,). But over time we began to respect each others opinions and space. And because of this, our relationship has turned out to be all the more special.

When I grew up and began to have responsibilities of my own I asked her how she managed it all, walking a tight rope, juggling so many responsibilities all the way. All she did was smile and say that I’ll learn the answer to that on my own someday. And after all this time, getting married and having a daughter of my own, I have finally figured it out. The answer is ‘love’, one little word that transcends all emotion.

My mother and grandmom (who I grew up with) have been an endless source of inspiration to me. But there’s been one other woman who’s always stayed on top of mind and given me strength– quietly and unknowingly – when I have felt low and under the weather.

Bindu was my former neighbor. I still remember the bright smile she greeted me with when I first met her at the parking lot of our apartment. She was very attractive and yet, simple and down to earth. We struck a bond immediately and got chatting like long last friends. In the course of our conversation, I discovered that she had two daughters. I remember telling her “must be as pretty as you” and she going pink in the face.

The next time I met Bindu, she was with her daughters – both were very pretty indeed! But little did I know that I was in for a rude shock! It was an encounter that sent a chill up my spine leaving me frozen with utter disbelief. What do you think had happened? I had just discovered that BOTH girls (then 2 and 4 years) were congenitally deaf and dumb!!

Fate had certainly been cruel to Bindu. Imagine the trauma of not being able to talk and sing to your child. interact and share your emotions …But I have never seen her complain even once. Instead she grabbed every opportunity that came her way and translated them into challenges. In fact, she never once made the children feel that they suffered from a disability. She encouraged them to explore everything – be it dance, music or even participating in school fashion shows.

Underneath that wide, bright smile of hers, was a life of struggle and agony. What with a husband working on the ship and travelling almost through the year! Bindu had no support or help at home. Yet single-handedly she handled everything beautifully. Painstakingly and patiently she trained them and instilled confidence in them. Today the sacrifice she made has paid off. The girls have grown to pretty young ladies. They go to a school for normal kids. They compete with bright kids and outdo them too.

Today I salute Bindu for her courage, grit and determination. For her untiring spirit and never-say-die, positive attitude. She has thought me to count my blessings and be happy with the little things that life has given me. Little do we realize how fortunate we are to have healthy, normal children. Thank you Bindu, for opening my eyes and letting me know how lucky I am.

Our toddler is 20 months old. We are planning to put him at playschool by this June. He is very naughty at home. But when it comes to mingling with other people, he feels shy and uncomfortable. Even if he is among a group of children, he is silent and keeps observing their activities. When it comes to elders he is restless and cries if some unfamiliar people try to hold him. We are worried and anxious about his tendency and will he be able to get over this as he needs attend playschool in few more months. Will he be able to handle it? Suggest us some ideas to make him come out of his shyness.

Although I love my mother and think she’s the most important person in my life, today I want to write about Andal paati who has been my neighbor for the past 7 years. Andal paati is 83 years old and lives alone because her two children and their families live in America. She lost her husband when she was just 34 years old and for the past fifty years she has slogged and raised her two kids. After her husband died, she was forced to find work to support herself and her children and even though she is a 9th std school drop out, Andal paati started her own food catering service out of her home.

Soon her business was thriving and she was able to send her son to engineering college and her daughter to a leading arts college without having to depend on hand outs from anyone else. Now, even though her children send her money from the U.S every month (which is more than enough for her to have a lavish lifestyle), andal paati still pursues her career in catering on special orders. At the age of 83, it is a joy to see her energy and zest for life with a brain that is much sharper than mine! I make it a point to spend time with her a few times a week and even invite her over to my house for a meal or two. It is a joy to watch her play with my son Rajiv!

I admire her strength, courage and resilience! I’m so glad Mother’s space gave me the chance to express my feelings for Andal paati. I will be taking a print out of this blog and giving it to her!

At the time of birth itself hannu had very good hair growth. By the end his 7th month hannu’s hair had grown much. We had to tonsure hannu. As per our tradition, we go to our family temple for tonsuring for the first time. It was very difficult to make him sit and tonsure. Terrible experience .I was very upset. I had never seen my munna so crying. Both his eyes were filled with tears. Again within few months hannu’s hair had grown. We had to trim it but not sure whether he will co-operate. Finally we decided to take him to the parlour. Myself,my hubby,my fil and my dad accompanied hannu for the parlour. We all were tensed about his haircut. Four of us were around him. This time he didnt cry, but was active enough not to sit at a place. He was unmanagable.
Atlast we decided to cut his hair whenever he slept. I wonder sometimes how difficult it is to manage such small things.