Trading Parents?

As you grow up, you realize that each family is different with its own set of dos and don’ts and the grass always seems greener on the other side! I remember wishing that  my mom would pack Maggi noodles instead of vegetables and rice for lunch or wishing that they would allow cable TV at home like others, or wishing I didn’t have to go to music or dance class and have my evenings free like my other friends. History repeats itself as now I find my son wanting biscuits in his snack box like his friend or wishing I’d be a little more generous with chocolates like his friend’s mom is or wishing that he’d have more unstructured playtime with his friends as opposed to the daily classes I’ve enrolled him into. Anyway, when children start comparing parents, you enter a new phase in parenthood where you’ll have to do a lot better than just say “Because I said so!” Of course, no parent is perfect, but you still want your little one to think you are! :-)

Today I read “Would I  trade my parents” by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by James Bernadin. A little boy takes a small survey of all his friends’ parents and finds himself wishing that his parents make blueberry pancakes for breakfast like Jason’s parents, or let him watch TV until eight o’clock like Katie’s parents or wishing  his parents go camping with him like Ben’s parents, or let him drink chocolate milk before dinner like Sydney’s parents or let him have a dog as a pet like William who’s mom owns a pet shop! Finally his thoughts turn to his own parents. Though they don’t let him do all of the above, he loves the fact that his mom puts a note in his lunch box everyday and his dad reads to him every night and they sure know how to cheer him when he’s low. He thus realizes that his parents are the best and wouldn’t want to trade them for the world!  So in the future, when confronted with the same question, I hope Abhay too comes to the same conclusion. As far as I am concerned, Im really glad my parents introduced me to music and dance and my mom didn’t pack Maggi Noodles for lunch! As for cable TV, I guess my parents soon realized it themselves and I got what I wished for!:-)