Wo(a)ndering thoughts!!!

May is officially here, which means it’s time to celebrate someone special- it is Mom’s birthday! When I asked my 75-year-old friend Christine what her favourite season is, while we were sitting in the garden watching the fall colours on a sunny weekend, she said September without a beat. I thought she liked Spring, so I asked her again, 'Do you mean Spring?' She sweetly replies back,' No!, September. It is Mum's birthday. This is the person who has forgotten so many little details of her life. No matter how old you get, some people in our lives have big impacts, espacially moms have that kind of power. Dont you think?! Back in my "I know everything" phase, I swore I’d never be like my mother. Now that I’ve actually matured a little (Ahem!), I’ve realised that if I can be even 50% of the woman she is, I’ve absolutely nailed it. Of course, I could have done without the "family heirlooms" she passed down—specifically the ability to stress out over lite...

April has arrived, and with it, the birthday of my favourite Teen. Aa is another year older, which supposedly means "wiser and kinder," but let’s be real—the only things that actually increased were his satirical range and his "Know-it-all" attitude . Can we blame him? Honestly, no. The world didn't stand a chance against a normal Teen, and now we’re dealing with Teen V2.0 . GoOd bYe, Thirteen! How did the "Teen V1" go? Honestly, it was a vibe. Goals: Kicked, ticked, and demolished. Logic: Annoyingly, you are logically right about 99% of things. The Catch 13: As the "Responsible Adult™," I am legally and morally obligated to ignore your superior logic so I can continue running this household like a normal adult. We had approximately one million arguments this year—an impressive 10,000% increase from last year—but hey, at least we’re becoming professionals at patching things up in record speed. Your personality is a wild mix o...

My dear pre-teen,  Part of me wants you to stay young and innocent, but life gets to us all and you grow, and I have to grow as well. First, I want to thank you for putting up with me and my parental demands. You take me by surprise every single day with your patience, focus, attitude, and how you face challenges that are thrown at you. I’m so grateful to watch you grow the way you are growing with kindness, satirical sarcasm, to-the-point-arguments, your excitement to be involved in every adult conversation, and your logical and strategic thinking- you are the best ‘IDEA’ man I know in this world. Thanks for teaching me how to reach for the moon and stars.  This is going to be a big year where you are going to face your first breakups and first ‘goodbyes’ to the wonderful community of friends you grew up with. I don’t know how much you can understand that now, with some of your friends- this might be it. I hope you appreciate their presence in your life and the im...

Often, I have a casual conversation with A and get surprised by some of his responses which I find very profound. I don't know whether he understands the meaning of it or it's the way children brain work - stick to rudimentary thinking, we adults complicate everything unnecessarily. I have recorded so many of our conversations in my other related posts, but this one deserves a post on its own. Little things matter  be it a gesture of care or love, last night I was down (blame the hormones!!) and was lying next to Aaryan who was busy watching TV. I turned around and asked him whether he would love me forever, he asked me “ What do you want me to say amma! ”. He was genuine when he asked me what I wanted to hear so I would feel better. He knew it was a silly question that I asked, but his presence of mind to check with me when I was feeling low was true blessing. Incident from the past , this is during our recent trip to Mildura and it was a longggg drive(7 ho...

My dear Kannama, You woke up  screaming 'Im turning 8 n 8 days!' ..  You have been counting your birthday right from Christmas and made sure no one forgets.. This is the first time you asked for a party,  wanted to invite friends and have it at General public -Bowling and Arcade games.. but God had different plan for all of us. This is going to be an unforgettable birthday..  8 yrs back today, I was in the hospital, my water broke early.. I still remember doctors were surprised to see I wasn't panicking or worried a bit. You know why? I was sure you would be fine,I didn't doubt for a second..I know for sure you will not just be fine, you will be fantastic.. No matter what, Ta and I will always love you, We will always be proud of you. No matter how many times you fall , we will be there right next to you cheering you to raise up on your own.. I know for sure you will.. Presents are packed, Balloons are ordered, cake recipe is ready,  party is planned, zo...

My dear Kannamma, You are turning 6yrs in 6 days although you have been saying you are 6 from start of this year ,we almost forgot you are still 5 . Remember last holiday to Lakes Entrance, dad bought a ticket for you to go on that boat ride where under 6 goes free (Duh!!!). You are naughty, Cheeky, Talkative, Attention seeker, understanding, Idea Mani, have opinion on everything, Funny, little helper,   adorable little chef – you are my   bundle of emotions. I reflect you, if you are upset I’m upset too..If you are cute & lovely dovely, I’m happy too.. You can’t sit in a place for half-a-second, you will be all over the sofa if you are watching TV. You love to play board games anytime and you started making strategic decisions to win the game. You started playing Rummy too.. You surprised me in Cambodia walking around those temples without much fuss (u did a little but I can’t complain)..Like always, you are a natural traveller. Somethings never changed,...

This is about the big numbers like 60 & 70’s and during my grandmas time I don’t remember celebrating her b’days ..Well technically, in olden days with dozen kids at home.. No one remembered their bdays!!..  Except for the big 0’s.  When the head (man) of the family turns 60, 70, 80, 90,100 yrs, it is celebrated in a big way.. Most of it has deeper meaning.. 60 is the first mile stone by which head of the family (man) would theoretically completed his materialistic duties (like job, marriage, raising kids)  and start his   spiritual duties. To celebrate the accomplished materialistic duties, we call Sasti poorthi. This is to be celebrated with the whole family (wife, children and their spouses if they are married) and a small traditional ceremony is performed. Traditional Ceremony includes Puja (Offerings to God thanking for everything) and the couple (Head man and his spouse) get their wedding re-enacted. It is such a pleasure for us (children) to w...