Abhay .............finally takes the plunge??

Come summer and Abhay knows what to expect from his mom.....nothing better than to enrol him into swimming classes of course! For the last few years, swimming has been a mandatory summer time activity that almost always made its way on Onestoryaday! Every summer.....Abhay goes through first time jitters as he stands in line with other kids needing to be coaxed into entering  the pool and this year was no different! In fact he began worrying about it much before...during our two week vacation at my parents' farm house.....resulting in his doting grandmother pulling me up for being a pushy parent ( which I confess I am). This time however...the ordeal of having to watch him panic at the poolside didn't last too long .........as his body seem to remember what his mind didn't! By the end of the first week...he had not only regained his confidence of staying afloat sans floaters but also didn't stop showing off his pool side exploits to everyone around! So after all.....a little push is needed to take the plunge..isn't it?? 

I found a perfect book to celebrate Abhay's first confident splash into the swimming pool.... “Radhika takes the Plunge” by Ken Spillman and illustrated by Anu Biswas is a chapter book brought out by Young Zubaan publications. The story revolves around Radhika who in her attempt to adjust to her new surroundings in Perth post their move from Delhi, is hell bent on learning/going swimming with her friend and her dad, if only her perpetually worrying mother would let her. Finally Radhika cannot believe her luck as her mother gives in, only to realize that swimming isn’t simple as she thought….as she feels jinxed by her mother’s warning her that she is nowhere close to a fish!  But amidst the peer pressure, pressure of fitting into a new environment, suffering through the ensuing embarrassment and dealing with an ever-nervous mom, read on as Radhika does learn a thing or two about coping with fear! With pictures by the high school student Anu Biswas that best illustrate the travails of a tween caught in the motions of carving out her own identity in a new place, and printed content in a running handwriting font ….this is an amusing story that most kids aged seven and above can relate to. So let your young reader take the plunge with Radhika this summer ...just like Abhay did!! :-)

AHA! ...once again!

The Aha! International  theatre for children festival is back at Rangashankara between the 10^th and 20^th of July! Like last year…the festival boasts of an impressive line-up of children’s plays by theatre groups from India and all over the world, including a plays for toddlers and a film show for older kids. Like last year…....we checked the festival schedule and had our tickets booked as soon as the bookings opened. Like last year, we’re taking turns to accompany Abhay for five of the eight plays being staged this year. So if Abhay’s daddy took him for “The Little Blue Planet” yesterday, it was my turn to take him for “Heroes Weroes” today…. And his grandparents have chipped in to take him for the Yakshagana performance tomorrow….and so on! Unlike last year though…this year  Abhay’s school too has come forward has planned a class field trip for one of the plays during the coming week……thus saving us from readjusting our schedule for one weekday at least! Phew!! J

 

Today’s performance is “Heroes Werose” by Theateact, Mumbai. This is a hilarious physical comedy that seeks to question the idea of a super hero solving all our problems. Abhay was completely taken in by the super hero histrionics, lighting effects and couldn’t stop laughing at the supposed dialogues…a mix of English and Gibberish! If ever happen get a chance…don’t miss the play Heroes Werose!

 

 

As a follow-up to the play, we read “Eric! ..the hero?” by Chris Wormwell. This is the story of Eric who seemed to be no good at anything and was called many names  like Twit, Dummy, Dunce and Dope! Eric thus felt miserable and he ran away. As he grew tired, he began wandering in the forest… when he heard a shout from a woodcutter who came rushing out of the woods screaming that a huge monster has come down from the mountains and suddenly hordes of people  were seen fleeing across the fields towards the king’s castle. As Eric turned and ran with them, they felt enormous footsteps of the Monster approach when he heard someone shouting – “Where’s a hero when you need one”…to which someone else shouted back that any hero would need to be a twit to fight someone as huge as the said monster and others added in that he’d have to be a Nitwit or a dummy or a dunce or a dope! This made Eric think since he was considered to be all of that….he may as well be a hero and wondered if that’s what he’s good at??!!! Does Eric become a hero, after all? Read on as everyone in the castle, including his mother watch as Eric takes on the monster who in turn happens to be wallowing in self-doubt himself! We all are our own heroes….isn’t it??

Abhay goes swimming ............again!

I cant help the dejavu feeling, when it comes to Abhay’s ‘swimming class’ phobia! After years of prodding (Gosh! I make it sound like he’s over 30 years old…but it does feel like forever!)….he now enjoys himself in the swimming pool… provided it is minus the perceived rigours of a swimming class and instructions of a swim coach!!!! So the minute there’s talk about enrolling him into summer swimming classes, he goes from from an acquaphile to an acquaphobic……from a fish in water to a fish out of water!!! It’s probably his sixth swimming class in three years……..with a forced hiatus last year owing to non-access to swimming pool along with certain logistics issues (which we promptly justified as not wanting to push our then six year old into something he doesn’t want to join!). To be fair, he does get more comfortable during the course of a three week class. So much so that towards the end, he acts as if he was born to swim (our very own Ripley’s Believe it or not)! But once there’s a gap …… it all goes back to square one! Well… one cant have first time jitters forever…can one??

We’ve read many books on swimming and fear thereof, it seemed quite pointless to down that tide again….but a random Google search yielded a link of a hilarious book that simply deserved a mention on Onestoryaday! “Clem Always could” by Sarah Watts is a wonderful book on guiding your little one to try out new things, even if it seems scary the first time! Little Clem could do a lot of things – make bat-ball out of anything as he always loved sport, could dress himself as he always had style, could jump, run faster than waves, do a puzzle, make friend and so on so forth. But if there was one thing that Clem couldn’t get himself to do was swimming. So when his mom took him to the swimming pool, Clem just wasn’t keen. None of mom’s usual strategies like reasoning out, bribery, pleading, physical force, seemed to work. So Clem’s mom let Clem do what Abhay’s mom finds it hard to do – just sit by, watch and leave! :-) At home, as Clem goes about his usual routine of finishing up his drink or using the toilet, mom tried to explain to Clem that he in fact had to learn to do many such things…to which Clem shot back saying that he always knew how to drink or use the toilet! Mom persists on and reminds Clem of the time he had to learn to brush or bathe or write but Clem feels that he could always do those things. Pointing out how Clem is to learn many new things as he grows up, mom takes him to the swimming pool the following week. But Clem is adamant and thinks of  everything from invisible sharks and crocodiles to laughing bystanders to prevent him from getting into the pool! Finally Clem meets his friend Grace who jumps into the swimming pool without a fuss when Clem is emboldened to follow suit. What happens thereafter is something I’m hoping to see happen with Abhay too!! Once Clem's in………….it feels like he always could!! A great book to help your little one cope with the first-time jitters …..every time!!:-)

Happy Diwali!

The biggest Indian festival, Diwali or Deepavali as it is known in South India, is here as a culmination of the festive frenzy that has been around since Dassera! I guess, when it comes to festive season or the holiday season as it is called in the West, it doesn’t matter which part of the world you live in, it’s all the same when it comes to the crazy traffic on the roads, stampede threatening crowds at the stores, markets, malls, and cracker outlets. Man!….even the book store was crowded making me wonder if people are actually reading more during festival time! Anyway, last year, since we were celebrating Diwali after a gap of three years, we felt as if we were re-discovering Diwali in India. This time around, I can say we’ve become more seasoned. For instance, we are no longer annoyed when people burst crackers well past 11 PM or no longer shocked at how much a box of  sparklers or flower pots cost, and no longer upset when four out of six flower pots in a box don’t light up at all!

Anyway, my cynicism should not come in the way of celebrating the true spirit of Diwali and so we indulged Abhay with all the traditional trappings of the festival that celebrates triumph of light over darkness. After some confusion over when does Narakachaturdashi (the first day of Deepavali) actually fall on,  we decided to go ahead and celebrate it the day the State Government says it does, that is today! (whereas the Hindu Almanac declares it tomorrow!) As far as crackers are concerned, our house is probably the only one in which the roles are reversed. Abhay despises bursting crackers because of his legendary aversion to loud noises whereas we insist on lighting at least a few, in order for Abhay to be rid of his Bhay (fear)!

This is the most we could get Abhay to do!

 

As for picture books on Diwali, I must say that there has not been much progress since last year. This week’s “Young World”, the Children’s Supplement of The Hindu, has a write up about Diwali and the way it is celebrated across the country. “Titto and the Fireworks” a CBT publication by Mrinalini Srivastava and illustrated by Saurabh Pandey. I’d picked it up seeing its title but then realized that it wasn’t an ideal book for Abhay, given his phobia for fireworks. Anyway, Titoo is the naughtiest baby parrot who is always trying  to escape his mother’s watchful eye. Titoo is curious about the world outside and longs to fly out just like his brother and sister. Since his wings are yet to develop strength, Titoo’s mom forbids him from flying unaccompanied. Diwali is the day when most birds stay in their nests and so did Titoo and his family. But Titoo somehow manages to get out and perches himself high on a tree branch.  He reaches out higher and higher until he settles on the highest branch to witness what he realizes are fireworks. As he is startled by the sound, he accidentally loses balance and falls off the tree branch when he is caught by a fellow parrot who takes Titoo back home safe. Titoo’s parents though worried at first are relieved that their son had finally learnt a lesson. Not much of a Diwali story save for the message to stay safe this Diwali!” Happy Diwali to everyone!

Abhay's book of 'big' fears!

Never name your little one after something you want him to grow into because he’ll most probably turn into the opposite! I was hell bent on naming my son Abhay (meaning one who is fearless) even when it was not my husband’s first choice, only to realize a few years later that he is anything but fearless.  I know ….it’s probably too early to tell (which means…there is still hope!), but he doesn’t seem to outgrow any of his age old phobias, the evidence of which are my previous posts on some of them! Abhay still covers his ears when the pressure cooker whistle goes off (which will only get worse with our enclosed kitchen being redone into an open kitchen!), or when he suspects the approaching taxi/bus has a screeching horn (which is almost every other Indica or an Omini passing by) or still screams at the sight of a common fly or mosquito buzzing around (I have given up on this one!). Sigh!…..on hindsight, I should have simply named him after a God or a deity! J

Once again, I tried to tackle his phobias with a book. “Little Mouse’s Big Book of fears” by Emily Gravett is a mouse’s account of all his phobias. Stylishly illustrated, this is a smart and a witty tale of a mouse afflicted with panophobia (fear of everything!) He is scared of creepy crawlies like spiders, gets edgy around sharp knives, worries about what’s under the bed, is alarmed by loud noises ( Abhay has company!) scared of getting lost, hates being alone or in the dark, nervous around dogs, petrified of cats, practically fears even his shadow until the little mouse comes across a lady with musophobia, meaning, fear of rats! A unique picture book with unconventional die cut pages and aesthetically placed embellishments that are sure to interest readers of all ages. I know Abhay is not going to be thrilled reading about his "phobia" posts  when he grows up. So here's hoping that Abhay conquers his phobias before there are any more posts published on them on Onestoryaday! J

Hello!...Ocean...

Having lived in the interior region of Karnataka for most of my life, I have always been fascinated by the sea. In fact, a trip to the Panumbur beach was always included in our itinerary when we visited my maternal grandparents in Mangalore. I remember how we couldn’t contain out excitement on our short drive to the beach, how we didn’t mind walking barefooted on the sand that was burning hot and how we squealed with laughter as we got soaked by the foam filled waves that splash their way to the shore. I also enjoyed basking in the seaside sun and then watching it paint the sky crimson red as it set in the evening. It was a dejavu for me as we drove the boys to the same beach, on the last day of our trip to South Kanara last weekend. Abhay who was never a beach buddy during the first half of our stay in the US, slowly began to enjoy our trips to Hawaii and the Oregon coast as he loved to play with his beach toys and make sand castles. As we reconciled to the fact that our darling son was probably more of a sand lover than a sea lover, he did a volte face on our final trip to the seaside last July when he insisted on playing in the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean rather than the sand on its shore.  Whatever said and done, I am happy that three years in the US had turned my son into a beach lover just like his mom!

Anyway, last Sunday’s experience at the Panumbur beach gave me more reasons to smile, as Abhay got more adventurous with the sea waves, thanks to his beach loving brothers! In celebration of the same, last night I read,  “Hello Ocean” by Pam Munoz Ryan and illustrated by Mark Astrella. This book highlights a young girl’s discovery of her love for the ocean complemented by true to life illustrations of the picturesque ocean. So much so that the pictures that seem more like a montage of photographs than hand-sketched illustrations, make you yearn for a day out at the beach, the minute you put down the book. As the girl arrives at the beach with her family, she cant wait to hit the waters that change colors from gray to blue and then to green just like a chameleon. She stares at the wide open water reflected in a bowl of skies and loves the way the ocean looks. As she enters the water, she hears the crashing waves sounding like a lion roaring and feels the water rushing in between her toes only to whisper back to the sea again. She loves the various of sounds in the ocean – froggy songs from distant boats, gentle clangs from bobbing floats and the screak of seagull flying high above. As she prepares to surf on her board, she gets pulled and pushed by the restless sea and waves pounce on her in rowdy play. As she touches the squishy, soggy ground and slippery seaweed, the sudden breeze blows away the sand in her hand held shovel, she realizes how much she loves the way the ocean feels. She sunbathes on her beach mat and inhales in the fresh salty wind of the sea, the smell of the fish, drying kelp and musty shells –she loves the way the ocean smells. As she swims in the ocean water, she recalls that its taste is similar to how her tears taste and she cant stop licking her face as she loves the way the ocean tastes! As the sun goes down, the little girl bids goodbye and promises to visit her old best friend again, the Ocean! A must read for any sea lover or an aspiring sea lover!

Abhay and his selective hydrophobia!

Come summer and it’s the universal time to hit the pool! It’s probably something most kids look forward to this season…but certainly not Abhay! I don’t know what to do with the selective hydrophobia that has come to haunt my son yet again! ‘Selective” because my son loves frolicking in  water otherwise….but it is the big bad swimming pool he is scared of and he is petrified of jumping into its pellucid blue waters…especially when his feet cannot reach the pool floor! It took over three  levels of swimming lessons back to back plus continuous practice over a period of one year, and finally lapping up as many picture books as I could find on the same subject to help Abhay overcome his fear of swimming in a pool. But I’m not sure if he has been spoiled by the indoor temperature controlled pools of the US, or by the sweet talking American coaches of his previous lessons, because when we took him for a swimming class yesterday, after a gap of over eight months, he acted as if he was entering a swimming pool for the very first time ever! “Oh…No ..not again” is all we had to say!

So I fell back on my old method of reading to him about other’s experiences in the swimming pool. What’s better than reading about one of his favorite characters –“Peppa Pig goes swimming”! It’s a sunny day and Peppa Pig and her family are at the swimming pool. Armed with their arm bands, Peppa and George are all set to get into the pool. But George is not as excited as Peppa since it is his first time at the swimming pool. Mummy pig convinces George into jumping into the water when George realizes that he loves it! Just then Rebecca Rabbit arrives along with her little brother Richard, who appears as nervous as George was. Mother pig then encourages both the first-timers to hold on to their float boards and practice kicking their legs. Peppa and Rebecca show off their swimming skills courtesy their arm bands when Daddy Pig asks them not to splash too much to which the much offended Peppa clarifies that big kids don’t splash as big kids are good at swimming. But everything is forgotten as they race each other down the pool and have fun swimming and splashing in the water and their little brothers kick their legs earnestly with the intention of learning to swim as well as their big sisters! When Richard drops his toy into the water, Daddy pig comes to his rescue by diving down to retrieve it as everyone has a wonderful time at the pool. I wonder when Abhay will enjoy the pool as much as George did!

Monsters under bed!

It’s been more than  a week since we got back from our vacation and I’m still having trouble with Abhay’s sleeping habits. I've been successful in re-establishing his sleep routine though, all thanks to a consecutive round of afternoon play dates that tires him enough to make him want to hit the bed by 8.30-9.00 at night. But the problem is which bed does he want to sleep in? Not his own, apparently there are monsters under his bed or hiding in his closet not letting him fall asleep!!!! Now the question is how do we get our little monster to sleep on his bed? For the last couple of days, his daddy’s severe cold and cough was a good enough reason to hold him off as we’d convinced him that he might catch cold if he slept in our bed…...but I don’t think I can get away with that one today! 

So I had his daddy read the well known book “Go Away Green Monster” by Ed Emberley. A wonderful book to help your little one to brave those imaginary monsters that make their appearance at night! With colorful illustrations on its die cut pages, both you and your little one first construct the monster starting with its yellow eyes, then a long blue nose, and a big red mouth with sharp white teeth, scraggly purple hair and lastly a big green scary face! Don’t be alarmed….your little one can make the monster go away by further turning its pages and deconstructing its blue nose, big green face, red mouth, sharp white teeth and finally the two big yellow eyes making the monster disappear all together….as simple as that! So is Abhay ready to sleep in his own room? Hmmm…after my husband read this book, Abhay expectantly asks “Appa, is your cold gone?”

Strange Phobia

When my son was born I wanted to name him something he can live up to! So I chose the name Abhay, meaning one who knows no fear or fearless. As the days went by, I discovered my supposedly fearless son was petrified of seemingly harmless things around him. He grew out of most of his phobias except one – the dreaded whistle of the Indian style pressure cooker! As everyone knows, a pressure cooker is a must-have for any Indian household and my son is still traumatized by its shrieking siren! Here’s my daily ordeal- When I decide to use the cooker, the protocol demands that Abhay be duly warned of the impending danger of staying in the living room. As soon as he hears the announcement, Abhay rushes to the kitchen to ascertain the gravity of the situation – whether the cooker is on the stove already and if so, whether the cooker top is in place which means he is just seconds away from the first whistle!!! Clearly in a race against time, Abhay hurriedly gather up his stuff and shift his play to his room with the doors carefully shut behind him. If for some reason, I am constrained to enter his room, while the cooker is still on, his hands immediately cover his ears, as if in a reflex! He even knows the exact number of whistles it takes to cook rice, dal or vegetables and promptly asks me turn off the gas stove once they go off. His legendary pressure cooker phobia may seem hilarious to everyone else in the family but is a matter of serious concern to me! I even brought this up with his pediatrician during his wellness check up, but she was only amused!

Anyway, I was reading Abhay a book from which I thought I could a draw a parallel between the story therein and his ludicrous mind-block. “Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully” by Julianne Moore and illustrated by LeUyen Pham is a sequel to “Freckleface Strawberry” by the same author. Freckleface strawberry is a little girl who loves going to the Early Birds hour at her school on a sunny day when she can play outdoors. On a rainy day however, she is forced indoors and dreads the prospect of facing the dodge ball attack by a bully called ‘Windy Pants Patrick’. On one such rainy day, she finds that she is the last kid standing ready to be preyed upon by the dodge ball bully. As she ducks her head and crouches down, bracing herself for the nasty hit, the dodge ball touches down with mere plop and rolls over. Freckleface is pleasantly surprised that she hadn't even noticed it and realized that there was hardly anything to be frightened of! The brave little girl then roars with triumph in turn scaring Windy Pants Patrick!! As I read to this to Abhay, I attempted to explain to him that most scary things seem more sinister in our minds than they actually are!! In the end, I asked him if he is ready to overcome his fear just like Freckleface – he is poker faced! I can only hope for change!!