Grumpy little boy!

Abhay was in a particularly grumpy mood this evening as he woke up from his afternoon nap. Well, I honestly thought he has outgrown the phase of waking up with a foul mood….apparently I was wrong! Nothing I did seemed to brighten his mood and frankly I wasn’t trying too hard either! I’m sure most moms would agree, there are days when you feel detached and just want to let him be. Today was one of those days! But as most moms would also agree, you cannot afford to wallow in it for long….for your child’s sake and most importantly, for the sake of your own peace of mind!!

To cheer him up, I read the book “I love it when you smile” by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Charles Fuge. I had picked up this book at the library last week thinking it might be useful someday and boy was I right!:-) This is the story of Roo, a Joey who is feeling so grumpy one morning that he doesn't even want to play. In order to make him laugh, mommy kangaroo tickles him to see if he breaks into a smile. But he doesn’t budge! All her other attempts like flipping him head over heels or playing peek-a-boo or tossing leaves all over don’t yield positive results. But as she slides him into her pouch and hops down the hill to look for breakfast, she slips into a muddy hole. Roo himself is all covered in mud but when he finds his mommy soaked wet and muddy from head to toe, he can’t stop grinning and his mom is relieved to see her baby smile at last! On reading this book, I could see my baby smile too! We all love it when they smile, even if it is at our cost, isn't it?