Jurassic world

I have never been able to understand the American fixation with Dinosaurs! The highlight in many of the US museums would be the giant fossil of dinosaurs occupying the center stage. Of course, it is interesting to learn about these mammoth creatures that once dominated the earth. But this seems more than just fascination and borders on obsession, especially with children’s books or television programming. Since most of the time, I end up being the default audience for Abhay’s TV shows, Im bored of his Dinosaur characters assuming children’s personalities having similar issues and complexes. Who knows, tomorrow, I’ll probably find my son wanting to grow up to be a T-Rex! I’m not sure if kids in growing up in India share the same curiosity. We weren’t all that crazed, at least not until Jurassic park. I wonder if this fascination is in anyway related to our yearning for the world that was! But hey….the world of today isn’t bad either…..'We' are in it..right?!

Anyway, today I read two books on two of the most famous species of Dinosaurs – the colossal Sauropod and the ferocious Tyrannosaurs, commonly known as the T-Rex. The wonderful thing about these two books by Kate & Jim McMullan are that they are entertaining both for kids as well as adults. The first one is titled “Im Big” is about a lost sauropod who overslept and got left behind. While he looks for his herd, he is attacked by some predators half his size. But the mild herbivore that he is, showing off isn’t one of his specialties. Because of his huge size, running or hiding from the enemy is also not an option. Finally, mustering some courage, he realizes his true potential and succeeds in defending himself and dwarfing his rivals.

The second book is “Im Bad” and as the name suggests, the bad guy in the book is a roaring T-Rex. The fierce looking T Rex lets you know he’s a mean guy who rules the Dino world. As the raging theropod goes in search of food, he has trouble finding a decent meal. Despite being the deadliest beast in the forest, he cannot catch a prey! Ultimately, this tough guy has a soft spot for his mommy who brings him something to eat! Well….what can I say…Mommy knows best!:-)

My Own Room

A recent topic of debate that dominated many parenting magazines in the US was the pros and cons of co-sleeping with your kids at night. Apparently research indicates that co sleeping is bad for both parents as well as kids in the long run! Isn’t it typically American to make mountain out of a mole hill, more so with early childhood issues? Most people in India would laugh at this!!! It is true that many parents in India do not have the luxury of allotting a whole other room for their infant child! However, it also true that our kids have to learn to sleep on their own at some point in their childhood, and there’s no harm in starting early. Abhay started sleeping in his own room recently and this is his least favorite part of turning four! To sell the idea, we even gave his room a complete makeover. But every night, as I tuck him in bed, his perpetual doubt is “Why do I have to sleep in my room and not yours”? As usual, I try to convince him of how lucky he is to have his own room for himself. Initially, he pretends to buy this and goes to sleep but with a plan under his pillow. The plan is to try his luck again in the middle of the night when we are most likely to yield to his request!! Believe me, at 3.00 AM in the morning, no research can guarantee you a good night’s sleep as well as having your little one hop on board with you!:-)

Speaking of having separate rooms for kids, today I read a book called “ I wanna new room” by Karen Kaufman Orloff illustrated by David Catrow. A charming story of a young boy named Alex who is upset at having to share a room with his little brother Ethan as they welcome a new baby into their house. He chooses to write little notes to his parents expressing his angst over his roommate’s immature ways. To each of his complaints, his father writes back providing solutions that seem unworkable to Alex. Ultimately, he succeeds in making out a strong case that compels his father to build a new tree house for the exclusive occupation of Alex. In the end, the big brother decides to leave a note calling his little brother to play with him in the new tree house! I hoped Abhay would understand the value of his own room, when he pointed to me “See amma, Alex shares his room, so you should share too”!!!

Hide n' Seek

If you’ve grown up in India, you’d probably remember playing the Indian variant of the game ‘Hide n seek’ called ‘I Spy’ which was commonly referred as to ‘Ice Spice’. In this form of hide n' seek, as the seeker tries to find the hiding players, he also runs the risk of being caught off guard by a player who comes out of the hiding thereby making the seeker ‘out’ ( or ‘it’) again. Now as my son is old enough to play this game, it feels like my memory playing hide n seek with me over those days that now seem like a different era. Those were the days when the evening power cuts came as a blessing in disguise to kids of the neighborhood creating a perfect setting for a game ‘Ice Spice’!

I wonder how time flies as now I watch my son trying a hand at this age old game. But Abhay’s variant of the game, though initially amusing now seems plain stupid! Would you believe it when I tell you that each time he chooses the same hiding place? All my earnest attempts to get him to play right ends in vain when I find him hiding in the bathtub for the umpteenth time! I mean…seriously…how difficult is this for him to figure out? However, today I felt consoled to find that Abhay was not alone in his idea of creating a boring version of an interesting game. On a play-date at his friend’s place, both the boys were seen hiding in their respective favorite spots again and again and were not tired of seeking each other out in the same place every time. Ultimately, it was the moms who grew tired of this ‘one of a kind ‘ game!:-)

So today, after being on the waiting list for more than two months, I could finally lay my hands on "Hide” by Jeff Foxworthy and illustrated by Steve Bjorkman, a book that vividly depicts the actual version of Hide n Seek. One Saturday morning, the children cannot wait for the rain to let up and when it does, they rush outdoors for a game of Hide and seek. This book follows the seeker as she goes on a search to find the hiding players while you read out the clues for your little one to go on a “look and find’ adventure himself. As I was reading this book, I hoped that Abhay emulates the ingenious methods of camouflage shown in the book. So I’ll at least consider having made my point when the next time we play hide n’ seek, Abhay chooses the closet instead of the bathtub!

Valentine's Day

When growing up in India, February 14^th only meant wishing my maternal grandmother on her birthday. Of course, I still remember my grandmother today though she is no more. But as I stepped into adolescence and India moved into the 1990s, February 14^th meant a lot more. Initially, celebrated by a handful of youngsters studying in metropolitan colleges, Valentine’s Day was seen as an import of western culture. However, it did not take long for the urban fancy to spread into a country-wide frenzy that also sparked some fundamentalist condemnation. Not everyone seemed gung-ho about this day, translated into vernacular as the “Lover’s day”. So much so that a couple of years ago, people were even apprehensive of wearing red on this day! All this because of a wrong interpretation of the day named after “Saint Valentine’. Here in the US, and for most part of the Western world, Valentine’s day celebrates LOVE in general and not just romantic love.

Valentine’s Day is a day to let your friends, family and well wishers know how much they mean to you. Most libraries have V-day card- making programs and most schools require the children to make V-day cards for their arts and crafts projects. Of course, the retailers have a vested interest in acting as PR representatives of Cupid. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t want my husband to get caught in this V Day euphoria! :-) You can’t help getting emotional as your son hands over his glue smelling V day card he’s put together for you( you have his school to thank for that, of course!)

Today I read “ Valentine’s day” by Gail Gibbons which explains the origins of Valentine’s day and how it was celebrated earlier and how it evolved over a period of time. This book attempts to educate kids about the significance of all the heart shaped cards, cakes, candies, laces, ribbons and flowers. With its bright red illustrations, children get to live through the V- day celebrations and a chance to say “ I love you” to the one reading this book. Happy Valentine’s day to everyone!

Children vs Pets!

Children and pets are alike in many ways. When they are little, you love their animal instincts, as they grow, you train them to make it easier for you, and just when you begin to enjoy life with them, they’re gone - either to build their own life or to another world! I mean, think about it….both need to be vaccinated at regular intervals or rushed to a doctor when sick; both need to be toilet trained; both have their pictures taken to be displayed at work; both need to taken outdoors although on this front children are less onerous as they can always settle for “Thomas and Friends” on TV! There is not much difference between a parent and a pet owner – both of them just cannot stop bragging about their little ones! In fact, the local library encourages reading to one’s pets just as one would read to children. The library also has a story time where kids read to dogs every week and last week I helped Abhay read a book to a dog named “Oscar”! So ….who do you think is better….kids or pets?

A crazy thought like this is a byproduct of reading a book to Abhay, titled “Children make terrible pets” by Peter Brown. Rated as one of the best children’s books of 2010, you are sure to be in splits reading this. Lucy, the bear comes across a little boy lost in woods and she finds him cute enough to want him as a pet. Lucy’s mother agrees albeit with a warning that children aren’t exactly the best pets to have. Lucy however is overjoyed and loves spending every second of the day with her pet, “Squeaker”. Soon the bubble bursts and Lucy discovers how trying children can be – how they resist potty training, how they ruin furniture and how they go berserk outside home! Suddenly one day, the annoying pet vanishes and Lucy goes in search of Squeaker all over the woods. When at last she spots Squeaker, he doesn’t seem like a pet anymore and is seen with his kind of people whom Lucy recognizes as his family. Lucy misses her Squeaker but realizes at the same time that some beings aren’t meant to be pets and sees the truth in her mother’s wise words – ‘Children make terrible pets’ So coming back to the same question – who’s more difficult – animal pets or human pets?