Parents are the most vulnerable
set of adults you will ever find this side of the century, especially when they
happen to have a nuclear family set-up. Being bread- winners and caretakers may
seem part of the basic plot, but that’s hardly skimming the surface. Bending
over backwards in order to keep their kids in place while managing to ignore
every other concern on the planet including personal well-being comes as a
guaranteed twist to their plan of action. And believe it or not, this
realisation hits you pretty early, in fact as soon as your kid hits the dreaded
age of two.
When a lot of parents warned me
about kids in their terrible twos and having seen some of them myself, I lent a
sympathetic ear and nodded my head rather sagely but little did I know it
encompassed every little kid in its ambit- no matter how docile or well-behaved
he or she might seem early on. So when Pihu approached the wild and whacky
phase of toddlerhood, I least imagined keeping my fingers crossed every time
she took a nap hoping I would get some ‘me time’ or at least attend to an odd
chore here or an urgent errand there. And before you know it, my very socially
amiable and quick on the uptake tiny tot was all over the house, scurrying
across to every prohibited nook and corner, raiding my boudoir and seizing
everything ‘adult’ within her puny hand’s reach, from her granny’s specs to her
dad’s laptop. No matter what she lay eyes on, if it was within touching
distance, it must be held, hot or cold, sharp or blunt, greasy or dry, liquid
or solid,…I think you get the picture.
As a new parent determined to
prove my mettle when it came to being attentive and meticulous while
safeguarding my child from any potential danger, I started developing a sixth
sense. Gaining insights in to future risks by studying behavioural patterns and
mood swings helped me get premonitions about what could possibly be her next
move. This was essential to nip the adventurous spirit of my child in the bud
before her next fall or injury. As a compensatory token of appreciation, I must
pat my back for securing this precarious sense of victory no matter how
short-lived by catching her before she slipped on a wet floor, toppled the
contents of a bottle of lotion, broke a glass container or misplaced a set of
keys. Unfortunately, I also couldn’t stop her from doing much more as it sunk
in that no matter how smart you think you may be, there is someone two steps
ahead even at a teensie-weensie fraction of your age. That however, does not
mean you can admit defeat and wave the white flag just yet because no matter
how cumbersome it may be, seeing her in some sort of trouble is too
nerve-wracking a thought to ignore her antics. In other words, you can’t run,
and you can’t hide.
On the bright side, Pihu’s
constant need for activity means she has begun to exercise her exploratory bent
of mind, learn through observation and imitation and exhibit large and fine
motor skills. She can swap and change sizes of pictures on a mobile screen
besides typing out digits, she can identify every person by relation and picks
up new words everyday enough to form sentences that are coherent and clear in
thought and speech. She gets excited by the name of ‘school’ enough to wake up
and brush her teeth herself everyday, likes to pick her clothes when going out
and prefers to dine at the table with adults with her own set of cutlery all by
herself. So much growth at such speed sometimes does make you wonder about
God’s way of creating and making us adapt to our environments so naturally.
With so much energy and intellectual capacity, what exactly is going on in the
mind of a two year old? Does a child this young have the ability to understand
what she is up against and the worldly expectations that are fast piling up on
her? Or is she content knowing that she simply exists, can run about and scream
and shout without a care? I may be wrong but it’s hard to miss the look of
sheer satisfaction when she is lying beside her mom and dad on both sides, with
one arm around one’s neck and her other hand fondling the other’s ear. It’s a
look that says here I am and this is what makes me happy. I am the link between
both of you and this is where I belong. It’s a fact that is irrefutable and
full of promise and a thought that is as comforting as it is exciting at the
same time.
LOVELY..
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