To be or not to be ...five!

Growing up is not easy and Abhay has had to learn this the hard way! Post his fifth birthday, Abhay has  come to realize that while he is entitled to many benefits, he is also ineligible to claim some of the privileges he once enjoyed as a three year old or a four year old! Ever since we moved back to India, Abhay has literally regressed back to his early years.  Gone are those days of “I can do it by myself” attitude! Instead, he needs help in every aspect his daily routine – eating, sleeping, getting ready for school, and ridiculously even for wearing his socks or shoes! Of course, the fact that he now lives with his doting  grandparents plus enjoys a 24/7 on-call support from his overly eager maternal grandparents has absolutely nothing to do with why my five year old finds it hard to act like ….well…..a five year old! 

When Abhay’s grandparents allow him a little more leeway than he deserves, I try to remind the grandfather-grandson duo that he is no longer the baby he used to be and is now five years old. So today I read “It’s Hard to be Five – Learning how to work my Control Panel” by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell. A five year old boy laments the fact that he is no longer little and with a heavy heart bids goodbye to being one, two, three and four. In his considered opinion, it’s hard when to be five years old - his clothes no longer fit him, he is supposed to start school when all he wants to do is play, expected to walk everywhere when his little brother gets the stroller, he finds it impossible to sit still in class when his mind is racing with a thousand thoughts and is sick of hearing constant “Nos” and ‘Don’ts” from his mom, when instead he expects a ‘Yes” or a “Try it” even if it means aiming his ball at the juice box! In the same breadth, he realizes that being five means he is capable of building and growing things, knows when to walk and when to run, when to stop and when to go, when to push and when to tow. He can lie down alone in his big boy bed and dream of his past and his future ahead and whatever he does or messes up, it’s a start as he has a heart and a mind of his own! When I asked Abhay if it’s hard to be five? He didn’t reply immediately, in turn he answered this with a question “When will I be six, amma?” :-)

Happy Birthday Abhay!

Today’s date holds a momentous significance in recent history and well, I can that the same applies to my life too. Five years ago, on September 11^th, Abhay came into my life and life as I knew it, changed for good! While today is my son’s special day, I can’t help but wonder what this day means to us as parents. Does it mean that we have to celebrate this day with all pomp and splendor? Does it mean that we have to buy them expensive gifts to make them feel special on their D day? I must admit that I have done both and it does make your little one happy momentarily when the cake is brought and he sees the guests arriving with gifts. But it is also true that sometimes you get carried away in trying to make it perfect and then it becomes too perfect to be fun! This in turn yields more stress than smiles on your and your little one's face! So unlike his previous birthdays, this year, Abhay’s birthday was a low key affair with only his close family around. Believe me, it was much more fun without any added pressure of party-planning! 

With two of Abhay’s closest cousins, Anirudh and Aditya present for his birthday, I read “ The secret Birthday Message” by Eric Carle. As expected of all Eric Carle’s works, this book too had vibrant illustrations and striking designs. On the night before his birthday, a little boy is sent a note that contains a clue to his birthday surprise. The clues lies in a code of shapes and figures that he has to decipher in order to discover his gift. Along with the boy, I had Abhay, and his two cousins read out the note, name the shapes illustrated therein and correlate the shapes with the picture cutouts to reach the last page containing the surprise gift, like an armchair treasure hunt for kids. Of course, Abhay would have run out of patience if his own birthday message was as cryptic as the one in the book! Hmm…..this gives me an idea for his next birthday! :-) Anyway, for now Happy fifth Birthday Abhay!!!

The Growing story!

As we slowly settle into our Bangalore house, finding space for Abhay’s new toys has been a challenge. In 2008, when we moved out of this house, being just a year old, Abhay’s toys were too few to be stored or organized and now we have run out of storage options for his toys! The only option left to give away his old toys only to make space for his recently bought toys and this a vicious cycle - buy them - grow out of them - give them away and buy some more! So as I was clearing all of the old stuff, it was a trip down the memory lane for me.  As I put his rattling toys, shape sorters, bead maze, stack up pyramid, walker and baby bassinet into a box to be donated , I couldn’t help but wonder how quickly our kids grow up! Before I realize, soon his LEGO blocks, his bicycle and his radio control car too would go in a box to be given away as Abhay’s old toys that once played with as a five year old boy! 

On the eve of Abhay’s fifth birthday tomorrow, I read Ruth Kruass and Helen Oxenbury’s classic “The Growing Story”. This is a story of a boy, his puppy and his chicken and how they all grow. It is summer and the little boy found everything around him growing- the leaves on trees, the grass, the flowers on plants and wondered aloud if his puppy and chicks were growing too. When his mother answered in the affirmative, he finally asks if he is growing too. “Of course” said his mother. As the days grew longer and the air got warmer, his mother put away his warm clothes in a box to be used in the next winter. Soon the chicks grew taller and rose to the boys’ waist. The puppy grew into a dog and reached the boy’s head. The little boy was dismayed that everyone was growing – everyone but him! He felt that he was just the same and complained to his mother that he was not growing! As the summer ended and transitioned into cold weather, his mother took out his warm clothes and asked him to put them on. When he did, he found that his sweater was tight and pants were short and was finally thrilled that he was growing too! This is a story more for the moms than the little ones – to celebrate each and every moment of their childhood as our precious little ones are growing too!!!!

Rhythm of the Rain

It’s been close to a month since we landed in India and out of the three of us, Abhay is the first to settle into his new environment, though I guess it should have been the other way around!  Abhay doesn’t seem to mind most things we adults fuss over! For instance, he is most excited to see the chaotic traffic on the roads and is glad to see people tailgating each other as a norm, unlike in Portland! He is thrilled to be no longer fettered by the child car seat and is able to freely hop from the front seat to the back seat when the car is in motion, unlike in the US!!   He loves opening doors to strangers delivering courier or vendors selling carpets! He is fascinated by the maid who does laundry using the washing stone….a-never-to-be-seen-sight in the US! 

Anyway, whether life in India is like or unlike the life in Portland, there’s one thing about Bangalore that has had me thinking of Portland ever since we’ve arrived and that is its rainy weather!  Over the last three weeks, we’ve had no chance to miss the overcast skies of Portland and I must say that Bangalore's weather  has become almost interchangeable with that of Portland in terms of the rain…..rain and more rain! So today I read “Listen to the Rain” by Bill Martin Jr. and George Archambalt and illustrated by James Endicott. This book is a visual delight with breathtaking illustrations of the falling rain and its effect on the foliage, earth and people. The author too has beautifully captured the feel and rhythm of the rain with simple verses that goad your little one to experience the rain ….listen to its whisper, its soft sprinkle, its tip-tapping and finally feel the sound of the heavy rain hitting the surface and then again receding to a drip-dropping tinkle – truly a delight to read aloud with your little one on a rainy day! With rain yesterday, today and more rain expected tomorrow, I can’t say that I’m missing Portland!:-)

Little Vinayak's Tale!

One of the best things about returning to India the second half of the year is that we are just in time for the festive season! Boy!…aren’t we glad to be back! We can celebrate Janmashtami or Dassera just the way they are meant to be!! Over the last week, I got to attend the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in my dad’s ancestral home, after a gap of three years and it felt divine to get back to my roots! No more waiting for the weekends to observe your traditions, or being content with ‘make believe temples’ abroad (no offense meant to the Hindu temples of Portland) or racking your brains over what to dish out for the group potluck or feeling demotivated to wear Indian or flash your Indian accessories with the forecast of a snow storm! In India this season, every second day calls for an occasion to get dressed up for an event or a festival, meet up long lost cousins/relatives and relish the sinful sweets and savories you can only dream about, when abroad! 

I was looking for a picture book on Lord Ganesha and couldn’t  find one, of course felt a little lazy to look further. Instead I found “Little Vinayak” by Shobha Vishwanath and Shilpa Ranade, part of the Karadi Tales Series. This is a story of a baby elephant named Vinayak with a peculiar problem – he had a truck unlike any other elephant! It was so long that he tripped on it nearly hundred times a day! Worried about her son’s long trunk, Vinayak’s mother tried everything from to knotting it to twisting it to folding his super long trunk but nothing seemed to work. Each time Vinayak walked, he fell with a big thud and became a laughing stock in the elephant community. Even his best friend Mika’s idea didn’t yield lasting results. Finally, Vinayak meets Tembo the biggest elephant in the forest. Though Tempo was gigantic in size and weight, he had one thing in common with Vinayak – Tempo too had a loooong trunk! Vinayak couldn’t hide his excitement and found hope as he saw Tempo walk with grace despite his extra long trunk. Vinayak stumbled along his way up to Tempo and asked him the secret of his gait without having his trunk get in the way. Tempo was willing to demonstrate his technique before Vinayak and asked him watch him as he put his right foot forward, swung his truck to the left and then put his left foot forward and swung his trunk to the right – that’s how he did it! Vinayak was thrilled to find such an easy solution to his predicament and danced his way to the mango tree without tripping even once! From that day on, no elephant with a long trunk trips on its trunk as long as he learns little Vinayak’s special dance! A perfect little story for your little one during this festive season! Season’s greetings to everyone!