A big deal... indeed


Today, the 5th of March 2017 was a special day; not least because it happens to be my birthday, but because it was my little one's first step into the big wide world, all by herself. I mean it was her first day of pre-school. Many of you might think 'What big deal??'.. But it was indeed a big deal, atleast for the kid and more so for the parents.

The preparations started almost a couple of months back, pondering over when would be the right time to put her to school, followed by strategic decisions like which school, analysis of various other factors like timing, transportation, references etc etc. And then the week-long preparation of getting uniforms stitched, alterations, shopping for black shoes and white socks, purple bag, Spider-man water bottle. You just can't afford to neglect the choices of the show stopper.

On the eve of the D-day, while mamma was pondering over anything that might have been missed out, papa is staring down at the little busy bee, wondering whether his little princess is big enough to go to school yet. Mamma sits down and repeats for the nth time 'Baby, mamma will drop you in school... and... ' Baby is obviously bored and hastily says 'I will not cry for mamma.. I will be a good girl.. I will not pull anything from my friends.. I will say please give me.. ' She couldnt have been sweeter, I can't think of a better way to say 'Mamma, please leave me alone'.

And after the hassles of a failed attempt at putting baby to sleep early at night and joint efforts to woo baby to get ready for school early in the morning, the trio landed in school well before time. Both of us were left staring at each other when she just walked away to the teacher and said she wanted to go inside, without even turning to say goodbye. We waited outside the gate for sometime, hoping but not wishing to hear from her. A little surprised, we both departed our ways.

I called up the teacher after a few hours and was advised to pick her early, today being her first day. The pink-cheeked red-eyed girl ran towards me. She hugged me tight and said 'I like the school and I was a good girl, but I missed you mamma..And i won't cry tomorrow..'
Well, that's a big deal coming from a two and half year old 's mouth.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My dream for my daughter

Image
As a kid, I always wished I was a boy, so I could choose any 'profession I wanted', go out 'where I wanted' to and return 'when I wanted' to. Being a boy meant living life without too many boundaries.  Today, times are changing, and I'm happy this world is a better place for my daughter. I hope she would be able to live like a boy rather than wish she was a boy. There are a lot of efforts being taken to allow women into every other profession and sports, to make places safer for women and to enable them to step out of their homes irrespective of the time. The theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’ meaning to focus on supporting and investing in women to make things better for everyone. Investing in women, be it at home or at work will reap the benefits not just for the investor and the woman, but for the nation at large.  Finally, a word to parents of young girls, we need not remind them that they will
Read more

Tia

Image
Tia, a short and sweet name I thought. I first noticed this name in our apartment WhatsApp group two years ago. Tia mostly asked questions in the group, and signed off with her name at the bottom of every message. I wondered why she used a man’s WhatsApp number to ask questions, ‘May be she wanted to keep her number private or most unlikely she did not have a WhatsApp number?’   ‘What’s in a name?’ they say. However, nay, I am fond of short names and have the habit of checking the meanings of such names. Google tells me Tia is a Christian girl name meaning happiness or princess. The Greek word Tia means Goddess or Godly. The Hebrew origin says Tia is the nickname of Tamara, daughter-in-law of Judah. Great, so the name has been around for a really long time.  Now that I had already named my daughter Aditi, I didn’t stand a chance of using this name in the immediate future. Aditi was another such name, not an uncommon name though; but it stuck to my head ever since I heard th
Read more

The Power of Music

Image
I was home alone after a very long time. I did what I loved doing during such times; listening to music while painting. Solitude and music have a certain chemistry that can boost our energy; where we have a space that is devoid of distractions and immerse in our inner self, doing what we love the most. I believe we all need such short breaks in our life, where we disconnect from everyone and everything and connect with ourselves.  I have a playlist on my mobile that I love to listen to during my hours of solitude (spare me for the lack of disconnection from device, I didn't have an alternative to play music). I have often wondered why I love listening to this playlist when I am alone. It consists of songs that carry memories; of childhood, of motherhood, of road journeys and of certain people in my life.  It's beautiful how a song can take you back to your school days or a particular trip or remind you of someone who is no longer around. That explains why I have goosebumps when
Read more