Just ‘Kid’ding....

Have you ever noticed that all parents spend the first 2 years of their children’s lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next 16 years asking them to sit down and shut up! Isn’t it interesting how these turn of events take place?
Nevertheless, the first few years of a child’s life is what every parent holds close to their heart. Their first word, their first step, their first day of school are memories that every parent carries with them for the rest of their life. My mum always reminds me of my first word-mumma. Oh how thrilled she was to hear me say my first word. However, her joy was only short lived when she realized that I would look at my grandma and call her ‘mumma’….and to worsen a mother’s joy…..I would even look at my dad and say ‘mumma’. Mum was quite upset but she soon got over it and now looks back and laughs everytime we talk about it.
Kids are indeed a joy to have around. The love they spread and the joy they find in the ‘little’ yet ever so important things in life, is something that grown ups will probably never understand. Like an incident which my uncle-aunt enjoy telling us about my cousin sister’s first Annual Sports Day. It was the first race of the afternoon.
My sister along with 7 other girls was made to line up for the 80 meters race. While my sister was standing in the line, she spotted her parents(my uncle-aunt) in the crowd. She was so overjoyed to see them-her face beaming and her hands waving out to them. The starter’s gun went off. The little athletes running at top speed. But not my 5-year-old sister. She was in ‘wonderland’ as she continued to stand at the starting line, while the other girls made their way to the finish line! My uncle-aunt made signs to her, trying to persuade her to run. But nah, she just wouldn’t budge. She was more pleased to stand and wave out to them and watch other girls run a silly 80 meters race rather than run it herself!
As I said earlier, kids are a joy to have around. And the place where I live we are surrounded by kids. Some of them just learning to talk, the others in pre-nursery and still more who have recently joined school. I recall an incident when one of the little girls had returned from a first day of nursery. We got talking and I asked her about her first day. She said her teacher was very nice and that she taught them a, b, c. Very enthusiastically, the little girl asked if she could say them for me. Not to dampen her enthu, I said yes and propped myself on a chair expecting her to refresh my memory on the a, b, c we all learnt on our first day at school. But oh dear Lord, I almost fell off my chair when I heard her say- A for apple, A for ball, A for cat, A for dog. Was I dreaming? Did I hear wrong? So I stopped her and asked her to start over and this time I was sure I heard right…..A for apple, A for ball, A for cat, A for dog. Oh it was so hilarious. Now I’m not too sure about b, c, d but on her first day of school, she certainly did learn that it’s not ‘e’ but ‘a’ for ‘everything’!!
I’m sure every parent has their own funny stories which they remember about their kids. I’m only 20 years old and still quite a kid myself, but all I can say to the mummies and daddies (‘if’) reading this, cherish the memories of your kids and someday when you’re not feeling your best, I’m sure these little memories will put a smile on your face! And while we are on the subject of kids, here’s something that an 8 year old boy asked me; How do you translate this in English-“baccha so raha hai”??
Simple, I said; “ The child is sleeping”. But he says no. The English translation of baccha so raha hai is ‘kid-napping’!