Sleep Tight…. Good Night!

 Its ironic…you really cant appreciate the term ‘Sleeping like a baby’ until you have seen your own baby wrapped up in the warmth of peaceful slumber! And yet, once you have had a baby, you rarely sleep like a baby yourself!

I cant remember the last time I had a good nights sleep…First I am not allowed to go to bed when I want to. If I am tired and feel like an early night in, Arjun decides its story time or nappy change time or simply jumping on the bed time!

And if instead I want to stay awake and maybe watch that movie running on TV, then Arjun declares he wants to go to bed, just when we are getting to the interesting part!

 

After loads of patience, when we do finally manage to put him to bed, there is still no guarantee he wont wake up for a midnight drinky or simply to ensure that I am lying next to him.

 

When he isn’t kicking me or strangling me or throwing my sheets onto the floor, he is busy scratching himself or covering his head with the pillow!

There is just no way both me and Santo can sleep peacefully, when all the time we are worrying about waking up and finding Arjun fallen off on the floor!!

 

But it isn’t as if any of these things disturb Arjun…he sleeps like an angel exploring the entire length and breadth of the bed!

Its just us…who spend an awful time watching and worrying!!

 

Oh when does this change? When can we all go back to sleeping peacefully and blissfully?

Gift that rewards or gift that spoils?

Arjun has been invited to two Birthday parties this Sunday( He leads a far more exciting social life than I do!)- a five year boy and another that of a six year old girl!

 

I was speaking to the boys mum and asking her what her son was getting as a gift from them. Her response shocked me!

She told me her 5 year old asked for a Nintendo Wii. I was about to laugh and comment on how ludicrous yet cute the kids demand was. Expecting fully that, the mum would laugh with me. Instead she went on to elaborate that they had infact bought the Wii, that was asked for and were now thinking of what other addendums they could buy to go with the console!

 

If at all there was a hint for me there, I chose not to take it!

 

Am I overreacting? Or do you also agree that our generation is going overboard in trying to meet their kids every demand!

I am myself of the opinion that people who say that the last generation was better than this one are often really pessimists who choose to live in rose –tinted memory lanes.

 

But in this instance, I am tempted to compare expectations to my own childhood (I do realize its an unfair comparison, nevertheless).
I think I can safely assume that I speak for all of my friends when I say that when we were younger, gifts and toys were a lot more special-not only because they were rare, but also because in most instances they were well earned!

 

I remember one of my first gifts, it was a Carrom Board that dad bought me when I was 10. It was my reward for being a first ranker among all sections. As it turns out, I was pretty lousy at Carrom and never really used the board much. Yet, to this date, the memories associated with that gift are very very special.

 

I do think that its bad enough to make a gaming console available to a kid who is not even five, but what is worse is to give it to him only because he turned five and not as a reward for an achievement however trivial.

 

Then again, I am the pot that calls the kettle black!

 

Arjun is only two and not even very vocal in his demands. Yet, he has more toys and books than the sum of toys that Santo and me had through our entire childhood and teens!

 

If I were to stack all his toy cars one above the other, it would lead to a one storeyed building! When he had barely started walking, we had bought him a tricycle and he was gifted a scooter.

He can barely recognize colors and alphabets and yet he has a huge collection of books and puzzles.

Only because he likes the Thomas theme song, we have atleast a dozen Thomas DVDs at home.

He has clothes that he hasn’t used more than twice before he has outgrown them.

His artistic skill is limited to random scribbling and an accidental complete circular sketch, yet he has 3 doodle pads, several activity books, a magnetic board, a roll desk and a proper desk!

Granted, that he is too young to be really spoiled. But while I am being judgmental about my friend, am I also not all set to spoil Arjun in the same way in the next 3 years?

 

Though like I said before , a comparison is unfair, yet I think I was far luckier than Arjun is! If someone asked me what my favourite toy/book/thing was, I knew and my answer hasn’t changed after so many years.

If someone were to ask Arjun-would he able to answer? He is, after all, spoilt for choice!

 

Disclaimer: Anybody reading should not assume that I am discouraging you from giving Arjun gifts! Did I ever say spoiling Arjun is a bad thing?

Please continue to spoil him…infact you are welcome to spoil all of us at home

 

Bloody Haircut!

Naah, not foul mouthing…I mean literally!

Gave Arjun his quarterly haircut while he was sleeping this afternoon. No change in strategy there…I always cut his hair when he is having his afternoon nap.
It saves having to fight flaying arms and legs and also circumvents the need for restraining handcuffs and such. There is also lesser likelihood of me nipping his ears off or missing his hairline and targeting his eyebrows instead!
Not exaggerating-all of this and worse could happen if he had his eyes open and saw me perform a surgical procedure on his precious hair!

But inspite of the precautions, there still was a bit of bloodshed! In trying to be a thorough professional and covering every wayward strand, I managed to cut the cobweb ligament between my two fingers and there was a sudden gush of blood, down my fingers into Arjuns hair, dripping onto his forehead! Quiet dramatic!
And incase you are wondering how I managed to do it, just pick up a pair of scissors and give the whole haircutting bit  a try- nipping your own hand, its very easily done! Infact, I wonder if its an occupational hazard!

Anyways, now a few hours since the incident, I only have a very tiny cut to show for it. It didn’t warrant even a second look from Santo, so I am unlikely to get much sympathy from anybody else! But believe me, it hurts!!!
Its a sharp pain, like a toothache!

 

Talking of toothaches, a colleague at work was complaining of a painul tooth yesterday, so I sent him an excerpt from Ogden Nashs Poem ‘This is going to hurt just a little bit’. I was hoping it would cheer him up to know that a fear of the dentist is universal behavioral characteristic. But gauging by his reaction, he wasnt very amused by my kind gesture!
People can be so ungrateful!

Coming back to Arjuns haircut. Incase you are curious to know how good the outcome was…Well, lets just say that I am no serious threat to Edward scissor hands!

There is certainly less hair on Arjuns head than there was before and I am sure he is a few ounces lighter. Other than that, there is very little I can boast about! I have now given my poor handsome kid the look of a wet duckling. Until he is all grown up, I suppose I can get away with these things. However, I suppose I couldn’t count on hairdressing being an alternate vocation.

What the hell…I just have to keep looking for something else then…Any Suggestions?

 

 

Krsihna Mama India Aeroplane…

Alka, Ashwini, Kedar, Shubhangi, Rama, Rajesh, Shravanti,Yogesh and now Krishna.

Every time one of them left, I humoured myself that distance doesnt change relationships. But for all practical purposes, it does. I want to be able to speak to each of these special people, to be able to update them of happenings  in our lives and to be part of theirs. I want to look at their pictures of babies and spouses and latest roommates. But just as you make more friends, you also sometimes stop having time for being a friend to all your friends!

Yet, I know that all them who were one of the first people to see Arjun, will hold a special place in my heart, even if we dont manage to stay in touch.

Krishna, who was with us in London for almost as long as we were, left yesterday morning and I spent a restless day wondering how I was going to explain his departure to Arjun.
But that discerning kid seems to have accepted the fact.  Earlier this evening, he said he wanted to meet Krishna but when I explained to him that Krishna was not around anymore because he is now in India, he asked me did he go by aeroplane?
I think Arjun has accepted the fact that the people whose company he loves-Aajis and Abbas and now Mamas too, hop onto that aeroplane and leave and go to India and then he cant meet them as often as he would like.

I wish I could accept facts as easily though…because I did miss seeing Krishna when we went to his place today. And I wished for a minute I hadnt always ragged him and bullied him and had instead spent some time finding out where his heart has been lately.

Krishna, if at all you ever read this-Wish you the best and if we get another chance to be with you in the same way as we were the last three years, then it would make Santo, Arjun and me, very very happy!
I am going to miss you (