Shaurya's Chronicles

Somehow, I had always underestimated the power of nursery rhymes and the part they played in a child’s creative development. I always believed that they were more like an instrument to keep a child busy by engaging him in a song and movement routine.

However, my perception has changed ever since Shaurya has started attending his play school. Of all things, it seems that he is most interested in his rhymes and songs that he learns in his school. Even though he is not able to understand all the words and then tends to mumble later, still he keeps singing them, day in and day out.

He sings these rhymes even while he’s busy bathing, playing, sitting in the car or even watching TV. The funniest part is that even when there is some song being played on the TV, Shaurya can be heard singing one of his rhymes at the top of his voice as if holding a competition with the TV. It does get annoying at times but recently my little superman has started associating words with moving visuals on the TV. He watches his cartoon shows and picks up a bird or the fish in a visual and sings a rhyme associated with a bird or fish.

Since my childhood remained confined to the spectrum of DD and National network and there were hardly any educational cartoon shows around, watching Shaurya use the streaming visuals and aligning them with the learning from his school is an experience of sorts for me.

At times I really wish that we had as many helping aids (Media, Internet and toys to learn) in our times too. But then I am sure the simplicity that we enjoyed in those times can never be restored now. Personally, I just hope that Shaurya picks up and inculcates some reading habits too as he grows up and does not confine himself to songs and music and the idiot box alone.

Patience is one virtue that motherhood has inculcated within me. But, I guess this is still one thing I have to pass on to Shaurya. My little brat has still not learnt the art of waiting.

So, if he gets onto something, he wants it to be done right away. And then there is his own choice of phrases to be used to communicate his persistence and urge. He begins by saying ‘kara diyo’ (let me do it) or ‘Denaa’ (Give it to me) and if not heard would keep chanting ‘Mamma, Mamma’ till the time his wish is fulfilled or he is indulged with whatever he has been asking for.

It happened so that I was driving with Shaurya and he got that sudden urge for colouring. He started off saying ‘Colouring karna hai’ (I want to colour) and kept repeating his request on and on. This got distracting after a bit and I had to pull over and tell him in my stern voice ‘Colouring karenge, ghar jaake, theek hai’

(We shall do the colouring once we reach home. Alright).

Really don’t know whether he kind of understood that his demand was unreasonable considering that we were still in the car or he just took note of the demeanour of my tone, but he settled in quietly after that. However, my little hero had by then already picked up a few words from what I said and he now fits them wherever he feels like. So, almost everything ends up with a ‘thik hai’ (theek hai) and everything now has to be done ‘ghar jaake’. So now even if he is at home playing and he wants something he usually ends up with a sentence like ‘Mamma ball dena..thik hai’ or ‘Chocolate dena..ghar jaake’.

His cheeky innocence gets me in splits of laughter at the same time it swells my heart to see his vocabulary grow to form meaningful sentences compared to the days when he used to just utter monosyllables.

I know that someday he would be out in the big bad world and shall even pick up words and phrases that I would not otherwise want him to use. Maybe at that time I shall get him to read this entry here and remind him that speech is a gift and that his Mamma always wants him to use his words carefully and judiciously so as not be rude or offensive to anyone.

Hmmm.. I guess for now I shall just sit back and enjoy what ever little he has to say on a daily basis. Maybe I shall capture some sound bytes on my voice recorder and post them here to share and savour them from time to time.

I know this has been the longest break that I ever took from making a post. I guess I have just become too occupied with other things happening at the moment. Shaurya’s 'Masi' has flown down from US and there have been some recent developments on my job front as well in addition to my being down with flu and a bad throat for some time now.

Anyway, all excuses given, I am making this post with intent of making up for all the lost time and hence hope that my readers shall get back to me with lot of comments and feedback and urge me to post a couple more in quick time now.

In my earlier posts I have expressed my wonder on Shaurya picking up words and phrases and formulating his language. Well, my little champ is one little bag of surprises and he keeps pulling a new trick every passing day.

Couple of weeks ago he would just drop his toys and come over to me seeking my attention. I, on such occasions would ask him, ‘What happened, Shaurya?’ He would then smile and run back to his toys or just stand there without giving me an answer. However, few days ago he picked up this phrase and started asking me in return ‘What happened, Mamma?’ and then would climb up the bed and pat my cheek. I would then smile and answer, ‘Nothing happened, Shaurya’.

And now he has kind of memorized this question and now if I ever ask him ‘What happened, Shaurya?’ He promptly replies ‘Nothing happened, Mamma’. He would then turn around and give me a smile and looks up as if to seek my approval at his answer.

Often this becomes a little game in itself and he would repeat his answer multiple times. The only thing I can do at this is smile lovingly and cuddle him. It gives me a sense of pride that he’s learning things fast and even tries his best to use whatever he’s been learning.

Shaurya Apes & Mamma Gapes..

Over a last couple of weeks, a new universal truth has dawned upon me. I have come to realize that it is an uphill task to get a child’s attention when YOU want it but a child will always pick up things and imitate you when you least expect or need it. In almost all my previous posts, I have mentioned innumerably about the joys of motherhood especially watching your child pick up things and new antics each day. It is this ever-changing behaviour of a child that makes parenting an enriching learning experience in its own right.

I am sure that the person who quoted that ‘change is the law of nature’ was none other than a first time mother basking in the sublime emotions of watching her child grow and pick up new tricks every day. (Well I know that I went a little overboard there, but then I guess I have always been a little altruistic and generous when describing such things)

Anyway, coming back to Shaurya, let me tell you that along with his behaviour, his language is also changing. I read it somewhere that one way of knowing that your baby is growing up is when he starts asking you questions that have real answers. Though he still has not reached a level, where he makes me crazy by chanting ‘What’, ‘When’, ‘Why’, ‘How’ all the time, he has become quite ripe for making observations and imitating each and everything that catches his attention. As it turns out, Shaurya is growing up to be a keen observer and is quite eager to learn and imitate everything that happens around him.

In my last post I had talked about him copying his dad and replicating his shaving routine. Well, this time he has gone a step further. He has been carefully watching me when I do my make up (which, I must inform, is a fairly basic and simple routine), arrange my bag or purse & walk out of the house and has now started mimicking my actions to perfection.

If he sees me putting on any make up, he insists on applying every single article. In fact, ‘insists’ is such a mild word when it comes to kids. He actually cries and tugs at me and literally gets me on my knees to give in to his demands. And then, it is the full range that forms the list of his demands - from eyeliners to ‘kaajal’ to a lipstick, he wants the full works. Let me add here that eye shadows are his favourite. And then he would wear his shoes, take out his cap from cupboard, puts it on and then places all his painting colours in an empty purse, flings it on his shoulder and says ‘Chalo Ji’ before waving at me and walking out of the room as I do every morning when I leave for work.

Now son, I know you might be a little embarrassed when you or your girl friend(s) get to read this 15- 20 years from now, but then it is such a funny sight for me now that I had to document it.

Perhaps by the time you get to read this you would have picked up a few nuisances of growing up and would have forgotten all your little antics and playful tricks. You would no longer need my cosmetics or feel an urge to imitate me (I hope). Maybe by that time I would be the one who would be trying to pick up things from you, trying to catch up with changing times. Chances are that you might not find it funny like I do. Nonetheless, I hope that you do spare a thought for your aging mother then and show her as much patience too.

For now, let me see if I can rope you in and click a few pictures when you are all ‘decked’ up.

Shaurya 'shaves' the day !!

I am beginning to like my recent spurt in updating the blog and I’m sure Shaurya will really be proud of me some day, as from one post a month, I’ve come down to about one post a week. (Let's just hope that I am able to maintain this writing streak) Well, I guess I also need to thank Shaurya as he is the one who’s motivating me to write on and on by coming up with new pranks each day.

He has got into a habit of doing something interesting almost every day and even we, at home, have become accustomed to his varying naughty behavior. It’s amazing to see how a child gets bored of one prank and hooks onto another and then picks up something else minutes later. Well, in his case, the level of interest in a particular mischief can vary from one hour to a maximum of four days.

I am sure the title for the post has already revealed a lot about the contents and so without much ado I shall come straight to the point. Shaurya's latest fascination is the can of shaving foam.

He intently watches his daddy and 'chachu' use the foam and shave as they get ready to go to work. He keeps sitting in the washroom on the slab of the basin watching them keenly as they pick up the foam and apply it to their faces. No matter how busy he is playing with his toothbrush, the soap dispenser or the hair brush but the moment anyone grabs the 'Gillette' can, he drops everything and is all a picture of attention.

I am sure he has got himself hooked onto this routine and the foam can is now a much coveted object of desire for him. And I am sure that this desire is increasing manifold inside (craving for the forbidden is I guess an inherent human trait) since he is never allowed to lay his hands on the can because as soon as he tries to get hold of it, he gets a big ‘NO’ in return.

However, as it had to be, Shaurya got hold of the shaving foam one day and since he had seen his elders use it many a times, he somehow managed to take out a good amount of it on his hand. The first thing he did was to apply the foam on his cheeks. He got so fascinated by it, that he kept on applying it all over his face, including his forehead and even onto his clothes. He carried on playing, till all foam dried up and he realized that it was time to wash his face.

It was quite funny to see the way he was trying to imitate his daddy and even funnier to see him looking at himself in the mirror and make funny faces all the time. I must say, it’s a pleasure watching Shaurya do all these things, but then its equally tiring to clean up after him and clear all the mess he makes.

Hmm, my little one so, when you are all grown up and you read this I expect you to spare a thought about your old mommy and appreciate the fact about the number of times I had to bend my back to mop the floor after you had a fill of your antics.

For now, I will just chase you into the bathroom and clean you up again.

Shaurya & The Idiot Box - Part II

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I am sure, people my age who were children a couple of decades ago, would remember those special jingles and catch lines that played on DD then. Right from “I love you Rasna”  (Catch the video here) to “Lijjat Papad” (Watch here), from “Washing powder, Nirma….” to “Tandarusti ki raksha karta hai Lifebuoy” I am sure everyone would have sung those lines one time or the other and everyone would have had his/her favourites. (Now if you are getting nostalgic, click here. I found this while surfing randomly).

I guess children are fascinated by the fast moving visuals and the rhyme and music which are part of a commercial. I am sure most of these marketing and advertisement agencies are driven and propelled by the challenge of luring a kid to hang onto their commercials and then eventually pursue the parents to buy the product under question.

Well, commercials comprise a larger part of Shaurya’s TV watching time. So, at times when you are trying to watch two shows simultaneously by hopping between the break times of each show, you need to be real quick while surfing the channels. If you slack and get late in changing the channel and if Shaurya catches a glimpse of a commercial playing on some intermediate channel, he won’t allow you to change the TV channel again. You will end up wasting your entire time watching the commercials with Shaurya who would then prompt you to sing along every single line of the jingle or shall make you repeat the catchy lines therein.

At times, I wake up in the morning with a line of the jingle I was singing to Shaurya the previous night, playing in my head. Trust me, it is then such a pain to get the line off your mind and you tend to hum the tune of the jingle all day long, much to your own indignation and annoyance.

These, I believe, are the subtle nuisances that all parents have to undergo one time or the other. I guess the job definition of Motherhood states patience as the foremost desired skill.

I am yet to see how patient my little star can be with me, when I grow old, lose my hearing and pester him to repeat things for me over and over again. Who knows? Maybe I shall just keep my fingers crossed till then or rather keep my fingers busy on the keyboard, recording such incidents and experiences till I hand him his blog some day.

Till next time, keep sending me your comments and feedback and any similar experiences. Ciao.