More Friend, Less Mom

My six year old teenager and her tantrums... that's all I can think of writing about these days. And I tend to leave it at the 'thinking' mode. The writing part rarely happens. Okay, I'm super lazy! Why? Maybe it's the weather. Or the holiday season. Or just me!

Kids these days jump five years every year. The way San talks, advises, comments, and behaves makes me wonder how quickly she's growing. And then in one fine moment, she goes back to her tantrums, questions, and grumpiness over silly things, and becomes my big little San...

a six year old who is learning by observing us, and not by listening to us...

a girl who has secrets to share and keep, stories to make up and tell, and an endless list of questions that cover almost all categories...

a girl who argues for what she feels is right and doesn't accept any silly answers, but the ones with an understandable logic.

That's how we all were as kids, weren't we?

All those times when kids are moody, do not listen and acknowledge, argue or go into that dreadful silent mode, do not feel or say sorry for what we feel they did wrong, yell and throw tantrums, and many such other times... we cannot afford to lose our cool or patience because that is what makes things worse.

And I'm saying this to remind myself of what NOT to do in those situations. I've made things worse at times. I regret it later, but I need to work on not doing it again. She's the kid, not me. She can afford to repeat her mistakes, I can't.

I need to be her friend, and not the bossy Mom who controls her. I need to pause, think, feel, understand, and slow down.

Papa dear is quite good at it. He gives me tips. I'm trying.

A good enough life

October is here. September is gone. And so is Saanvi's birthday month. She is six. Really? I'm still in the 'five' mode. Doesn't feel like six to me. But her behavior does feel like that of a teenager!

The birthday party was great. San had the most amount of fun. And why not? It was her party. :)

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These days I wonder what I should write about. Her school, her swimming, her busy new routine. her great first month at school, the subtle changes in her behavior... so much to write about, yet, nothing.

Life's going on. Kids are growing. Time is flying. Routines are on. At times, monotony.

And then there's this big question that, at some point or the other, bothers us all : what have I achieved so far in life? Many can proudly write an essay for an answer. I wonder what my achievements are. Or are there any? Running a house. Raising a daughter. That is good enough. Isn't it? :-)

School, yeah!

Another summer vacation came to an end. Another session in schools has begun. Another new school. Another first day, first week. It passed happily. San is more than excited after having had a big dose of the vacation this year!

She's going to Kindergarten (yeah, she already did that while she was in India) She's a September-born and doesn't qualify for the first grade. We did get a handful of advice on ways to skip a grade, now or in future, and get her back on track. A lot of parents do that. But, why? I feel after having finished junior and senior kindergarten in India and battled the monster called homework (yeah, I've written so much about it!), she's fine with experiencing Kindergarten all over again here, and it's so much different. Homework will always be there, at times more, at times less. As she goes up the grade ladder, it's gonna get busier and harder anyway. I'm glad she's getting to have some more fun in Kindergarten before she gets into the serious school mode.

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The other day, I asked San (yet again) what she wants to be when she grows up. She said that she's gonna be a doctor and treat me. After having said that, she went silent for a while. I asked her what happened. She said, "Mommy, when I grow up, you are gonna be at God's home. How will I treat you then?" I told her that I'll ask God to wait some more so that I can spend more time with her. She was okay with it and again went silent. Then she asked me, "When people go to God's home, don't they return?" I said yes and no. With tears welled up in her eyes, she said, "Mommy, I always want you to be with me, and not go anywhere. Always and always, no matter what happens."

Sigh!

Some Summer Fun

Summer's on, and so are the holidays. Lots of time, lots of things to do, and yet, nothing much to do! That's how it is with San.

Last weekend, we finally enjoyed our much awaited camping trip - our very first camping trip! Thankfully, the rain and thunderstorm forecast could not spoil the spirit of it. It was fun. The very interesting lecture on alligators, watching a baby alligator gobble up a turtle, the two-hour long hike (which had San quite bored), the sounds of birds that is music during the hike, setting up the tent (the most important part of a camping trip), the outdoor cooking (not to forget the roasted marshmallows), the bugs that bug, the sight of a start-studded sky, the endlessly tall trees, sounds of the night, the post-dinner games and chit-chat, the early morning sights and sounds and smell, the outdoor breakfast, the wind-up, the clean-up... all of it was a great experience. Some great time away from the routine, the gadgets, and the monotony.

  

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San's swimming classes are on, finally, and she's loving it! After a long, long gap, she's gotten into the pool, and she's being a fish. :) It's fun to watch her learn, although, she's mostly hunting for toads and centipedes in the pool during her class, thanks to the frequent showers!

And yesterday, on Father's Day, Papa dear and San enjoyed some daddy-dotty time in the pool after long!

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Our birdhouse is finally up and very busy all through the day. Sparrows, blackbirds, crows, pigeons... we have them all! And that means more cleaning work for us. The birdseed peels and bird poop make a real mess! But then, we love to watch the birds!

From crayons to sketches

Last week was a trouble week. Tummy troubles for San, stress-related troubles for Papa dear, and for me, handling the two of them was a handful.

When you see your child vomit all through the night, throwing up food, white stuff, yellow stuff, it does feel scary. After some research on Google and a word with the doc, we were okay to find out that a stomach bug was the culprit, who already made its way out of San through all that stuff. What followed was a series of bland food, soups, and lemon water for three days. She's back to her happy self now, happily eating and coloring.

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Talking about coloring, I would proudly like to mention that she did a portrait of me! And how did she get that idea? I did one for her on Sunday morning (sad that I didn't take a picture of it). She was quite happy with it (after she'd made some changes to it). :p She started off with a portrait of her grandparents, then mine, and then her Maasi's (Maasi is a term for Mommy's sisters).

Mommy

Richa Maasi

Anyone up for theirs? ;-)

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It's a long, long wait till the school starts! And it's difficult to keep San busy cuz' she gets 'bored' soon. And that has been THE word on her list since a couple of months now. 

We started painting our newly-bought birdhouse today (and that's a good project to keep her busy)! :)

Being a tomboy

My girl is officially a tomboy! Why? Because everyone says so.

San loves her polos, her baggy tees with sleeves rolled up, her boots, her hair gone wild, her shorts, her trousers, and everything that is not girly. She fights for blue because pink is for girls. She likes to play ball with boys and roll in grass and mud than play Ring-around-a-Rosie with other girls. She asks me "what if I were a boy" questions. When she dances, you know that she is good for hip-hop and b-boying, not ballet and salsa. Reminds me of my time when I used to be like that, so not like the girls, and still, I wish she were more girly!

She's made a couple of friends here, all girls. I asked her how she finds her new friends. "They're nice, Mommy, but I haven't made any boy friends yet. I had so many boy friends in India. Why aren't there any boys here?" she said. Sigh! :D

But anyway, what's the big deal about being a tomboy? Nothing. It's cool! :)

The new and the old

Been a quarter again since I wrote here last, and a lot happened during this time. We traveled a lot, home and back, home and back, and then we finally came back to Houston! Surprise!!

San has been enjoying her big vacation that started around the beginning of February, during which she finished school too. And the vacation continues because her school here starts in August. Long long vacation!

I have so much to write about but I don't know where to start!

Back to the phase where we restart our life in a new (okay, Houston is old!) place, among new people, confused and overwhelmed with a change that we almost were prepared for but can't digest. Thank God we have our old friends here and their presence does make us feel a lot better.

San is happy. She has her old toys and friends to play with, a new school to go to, a new place to live in, a new room to do. What else do they need in life! :) She is still the tomboy she has always been, and the terrible fives are continuing happily! ;-)

We're in the process of settling down, figuring out stuff... life goes on... people, places, and things keep changing... we keep adjusting.

Terrible Twos make a comeback

And I"m finally writing the new year's first post after a long, long gap of a quarter! *hides faces* And I have the same old excuse for not having written here... I was being lazy! *hides face again* Bad, very bad.

Do I have a lot to tell? Not really. But I must tell you that San's Terrible Twos are back with her five. Yeah, I was told that they keep coming back, and here they are. Same old phase of screaming, whining, howling, stomping, and a lot of crazy girly things. I did write a lot about the Terrible Twos here, here, and here.

So tell me what's with the fives. Does it happen with all kids? The arguments, the Nos, the stubbornness, the grumpiness, the meany ME... sigh! I, as usual, run out of patience. And Papa dear, cool as a cucumber, handles it all like a pro. :-)

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It's that time of the year again when San has to dress up as a freedom fighter for the Republic Day celebration in school. Last year's Mangal Pandey act was a hit. This year's Bhagat Singh act is due in two days. Hopefully, San will recover from the little viral infection that she is down with, and rock it again. ;-)

And lastly, let me tell you what keeps her (and us) busy these days. A little game of Snakes and Ladders that she received as a return gift at a Christmas party.