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Showing posts from 2017

Parent plans vs Toddler plans

So, just a week before my fifth anniversary, I tell my husband that we have to do something this year and not just sit at home and while away time. Before my husband could protest something in the lines of (But I only get a weekend to rest), I was quick to remind him of the past anniversaries that ended up being quite uneventful.  And so, I let him know that I was determined not to let this year slip by me. Besides, it was important to mark the occasion. We were completing five years of married life in which we had managed to keep our sanity intact in the midst of driving each other crazy due to our erratic, intolerable habits which only spouses can understand. Not to mention, that we had also managed to create a little human being who was currently having his own plans for the upcoming big weekend. The toddler must have heard about our plans. Why else would he unleash his own plans exactly at the wrong time? Five days before the weekend, toddler wakes up midnight, hi

Being a parent, Perfect or real

I cried today along with my toddler. He does cry very often because little kids do that to get attention or to get a message across. Also, they seem to have a meltdown every now and then. So, crying comes easily to them since birth. For long, I told myself that I can deal with all the meltdowns and be calm because I read somewhere that it’s important to be cool and composed with kids all the time. But I broke the rules. I raised my voice. I broke down. I cried even as my toddler shed tears. We did have a good reason but to someone reading this, it would seem silly. It did seem silly to me as well, that is, until it happened to me. My son has his rough days sometimes because of constipation because kids can be picky eaters or maybe he simply doesn’t want to poop or maybe I messed up his diet (I am trying hard to beat the guilt). A google search suggested that it was normal for kids to constipate and that they grow out of it soon. So did my doctor tell the same thing. It sounded

Sneeze, cough, Sneeze, cough

The last few weeks with my toddler were spent in a series of sleepless nights and gulping down yucky meds. Not letting worry get the better of me, I told myself that things would get better. After all, children get sick all the time. Still, the sick days are like a whirlwind where you can’t wait for things to get better. So, when a fever appeared and relapsed and when the cough wouldn’t subside, I indulged in a google search. Google, like my good old pal, suggested me a list of things I shouldn’t be doing. I already felt better after reading it as if Google was the doctor or magician I was looking for. Wash your child’s hand often – Okay, this is easy, I told myself. I just have to wash his hands each time we entered the house and before meal times and when he got himself dirty. How hard can this be? After I washed his hands before meal time, my son managed to get his hands on some paint and colors and flour. So, after two more rounds of hand washing, we managed to ge

My leftover ice-cream

It’s so easy when children are young. Like it’s very easy when they are newborn. It’s still easier when they are still learning to walk. It remains easy when they are just learning to talk. And then, all at once, it gets harder when they start to remember things, when they start to demand things, when they start to have preferences of what they should do and what you should do. You start to realize all of your moves have to be pre-planned because of the dire consequences it may have. When my son turned two and a few months more, he learnt that running is an amazing experience so much that the moment the doors are opened, he throws himself across the grass and the air. He doesn’t really care if I am behind him. That’s just the way toddlers are. They don’t care. But this can’t be entirely true. Even when my toddler gets to his highest degree tantrums, there are times when flings himself across my neck into a tight hug. He melts inside me, making me wonder if life could forev

Quit playing games with me, toddler.

When my son turned eighteen months, I was battling with my mind of when would be the right time to put my son into a playschool. At that point, I was getting tired of the new tantrums my son was lashing out at me. Fast forward 8 months, I am now partially immune to most tantrums. I think I have built the thick skin to deal with screeches and scratches. After hearing to umpteen advices from peer moms and a million other people (who are simply interested to offer tidbits of advices), I decided to do what I thought was best (Hey, isn’t mother’s instinct the answer to everything?). A month ago, my husband and I dropped my son to a new playschool. We still have rough mornings but then I began to notice that the roughness was seeping into every part of the day. As of now, my toddler talks a lot which are babbles and babbles (no sentences yet). Though I am tired of hearing the same question (Doesn’t he talk sentences yet?), I crush the urge to respond – no, he doesn’t. But we

Terrible twos – it happened to me!

It’s a Wednesday morning rush hour inside my house. After shoving my husband out of the door for work, my son and I gear up for the day. It’s the ‘library’ day which comes every week. We both love it because that’s where we get to stay away from each other and get our much deserved space. Or so I thought. Anyway, I throw the diaper bag over my shoulder as I scream to my toddler to wait for me outside the door (once they turn two, they simply CANNOT stay still). A few minutes later, we shove ourselves inside the car that has arrived for pick up. The UBER driver makes small talk with me, asking the same question I have answered a million times to different people – How old is he? I beam with a smile as I glance at my son who was once a tiny baby but with the miracle of time has converted himself into a wiggly- adorable toddler. I simply tell the lady, two. Is it fun? The lady from the driver seat probes me further. My instant answer is YES. It’s so much fun now after the init

To milk or not to milk?

At the outset, when my son was born, I had no idea what it meant to breastfeed a baby. I wasn’t prepared for the toil and labor as I positioned myself in back-breaking poses to suit my baby’s needs. Soon enough, within the first week, I ended up having sore breasts with a baby who wouldn’t latch easily to the breast. By the second week, I convinced myself that this is the hardest thing I have ever done and still the baby just cries. My initial assumption was that perhaps, he is hungry, why else would he cry. Quickly, I grabbed a few bottles of formula which he gulped down his throat. And he still cried!!! Better sense prevailed when I spoke with my lactation consultant who suggested that I needed to let him get a hang of breastfeeding while my own body accustomed to his needs. I nailed the thought inside my head – Just get yourself to breastfeed him and believe that he will grow. And so, for the first six months of life, I watched my son grow with the aid of breast-milk w

Watching you mommy, literally

Sometimes, being a parent is hard because not only are you expected to be caring for another person, 24*7 for a lifetime, but you also need to be putting out your best self. There is so much being written and told about how parents should only be putting out their best reflection out there because as they say, babies watch everything. Once I became a parent, a lot of people told me, he is going to learn a lot from you so make sure you teach him everything right, don’t forget you are his first teacher. I nodded to all the suggestions, only to let them pass from my ears into thin air. I told myself cheekily, how hard is it to put my best? After all, I am dealing with a 22 month old kid. What bad things can he possibly learn from me? I mentally gave myself a clean chit certifying myself to be packed with only the good stuff. I assumed I was doing it right –I even have a list!!! Brush twice every single day – check (It’s not my favorite part but I do and get the little one

me - the PARTY MOM

The word ‘Parties’ takes a new form for someone who has stepped into the motherhood phase. Parties are not just about hanging around with people, dancing to loud music over cocktails. Instead, they now involve participating as a team with little humans who find great pleasure in staring at colored balloons, wearing funny party caps as they feverishly wait for the birthday cake to be served.  Yes, these are the only parties that I have attended for almost a year or so. I also know that birthday parties will require my constant visitations in the coming years as well. Every parent knows that birthday parties of other children (sometimes their own too) become a frequent and the most regular outing. Do I love these parties? Absolutely! For every mother, the only two magical words are ‘Kitchen closed’ which these parties aid to. Plus, it allows the toddler to whack-smack-be pals with other kids too. And then, there are return gifts. Who doesn’t love them? So, yes, I am a big fa