V - day with kids!

It’s ironic that we started celebrating Valentine’s day after Abhay came into our lives, and more so during our short stint in the US when Abhay came back with a Valentine’s day card for his parents! As I’ve mentioned  earlier, Valentine’s Day is not just celebration of romantic love but all kinds of love - parental love, sibling love, affection one feels for grandparents, friends, teachers, etc.  While Abhay’s V-day card making days ended as we moved back to India, we’ve always made it a point to celebrate this day as a family. Now that day long outings are no longer feasible with a nine month old in tow, we did however manage to go out for a V-day dinner at a local restaurant that was done up with heart shaped red balloons all over! Of course, thanks to our fellow Bangaloreans’ penchant for eating out, we had to make reservations as early as the beginning of the week! J

With a sweet little addition to our family this year, Valentine’s day has been made all the more special! Before her arrival, it almost seemed improbable that we would feel the same love as we felt for our first born. But now as we hold her in our arms,  mollycoddle her, baby-talk with her and as she flashes her toothless grin in recognition of that special bond….. truly…. it is one of life’s greatest pleasures. In celebration of this parental love and attachment, we had our little one look into “Okaasama Otousama”, a Tulika publication by Sandhya Rao and pictures by Krishna Bala Shenoi, a wonderful book meant for infants and toddlers.  Narrated in a rhythmic style, the book showcases one of the first words uttered by most kids ( mother-father) in eighteen different languages. As you turn the pages, watch those little eyes follow the varied landscapes, settings,societal and familial milieus depicted in myriad colours and hues. The presentation of the concept is simple yet profound in the way it embraces multiculturalism and diversity, but for the error in the Kannada reference of “father” as Thanthey with the actual word being “Thandhey”. From Tamil (Amma – Appa) to Tulu,(Appe-Amme), from Swedish (Fader-Moder) to Silican (Matri-Patri), from Japanese (Okaasama Otousama ) to Finnish (Mutsi-Isi), it is only a reaffirmation of the inextricable bond that a child shares with his or her parents. Happy Valentine’s day, my little ones!