Everyday smiles

Dear Buzz,

You are currently at a stage where you do exactly the opposite of what we tell you to. If we ask you to go up the stairs you run for the couch. If we are ready to head out and are standing at the door, you decide that the balcony door is a better place to be. If it is time for dinner, then as per you it is the perfect time to play. All of which results in stressed parents screaming throughout the day. Most days to the extent that I forget the reasons to smile you give us in between all the show of independence.

Every time you spy an Indian aunty at the grocery store or the mall or the road or at someone’s place you make a beeline for her, stop right in front of her, fold your hands and say, ‘Nani namaste’. Oh the love and hugs you get after that and the look of pride on my face. How can I not smile about that?

Now that you are potty trained you show off non-stop. Every time you sit on the pot you proclaim ‘Me potty trained’ and are heard saying the same at daycare when all the other kids in your class are getting their diapers changed. But what cracked me up over the weekend was your Paa making his way to the bathroom and you turning to tell me, ‘Mumma, Papa potty trained’. Yeah darling, your Paa and I are potty trained.

You love to count anything and everything. Your favorite number is 15, so much so that 13 is always followed by 15. Who needs 14 anyways. Weekend before last we took a ferry back home and you could not stop talking. The waves were fishes, all birds were seagulls, all seats where yours to jump on. When you finally settled down you started counting the houses we could see on the shore. You counted one, waited for the ferry to move forward to count two, waited some more to count 3 and so on. I could not help but laugh at all the wait for the ferry to do the work rather than you moving your finger and finishing your counting.

Every time we are out for the day and make our way back home you have your drama ready. You never want the fun to end. The minute you see familiar buildings you start screaming, ‘No ghar’. You do your best to try and change our minds to head someplace else until you realize there is no turning back.

You know that nightfall is sleep time. No matter how tired you are, you try to push sleep time as much as you can. But what makes us smile is that you keep pointing outside and saying, ‘Raat ho gayi, ab nini time’.

A few days back I tied your hair the way I do mine, in one pony tail at the back of your head, rather than the front hair tied up with the rest of your hair open. There was this wonderful smile on your face as you keep touching your hair and repeating, ‘Mumma choti, me choti’.

As I said, so many little things that don’t count for much but in the stress that is our lives and the growing up you are doing, they give us showers of relief in the form of smiles and laughs. And for that we can only we thankful.

Sweetheart, you have your growing to do and we need to figure out how to deal with all you come up with but continue to surround you with love abundant while teaching you right from wrong. So keep at it and we will keep at what we need to. But do continue to give us all the endless reasons to smile to help ease some of the pain.

Stay happy, stay healthy, always.

Love you loads,
-Maa