Of Tell-a-Tale And Fairy-Tales

Eid has come and gone. And with it the whole ambiance changed as well. I wholeheartedly welcome this change but wondering how I am going to cope the colder days ahead. Already the festivity mood has vanished into thin air despite the fact that the holidays are still on. My children will get back to school this Saturday. Till then, its hubbub everyday with all four, staggering for the television or the computer. And what more with the arrival of the latest thingy by name of play station 3, the children cannot differentiate day and night and if they had eaten their meals or not. How ever I have come to a decision that once school reopens, this newest gizmo will be veiled for awhile in a probable attempt to divert the children’s attention more toward school activities.

With the four at home, noise and clamor is an everyday thing. They have found ways and means to bring the house upside down. It‘s like we are celebrating Halloween here. Recently they scared the guts out of me with an eerie music they played on and off via their latest gizmo. And mind you, top of all this, there’s the high-pitched blaring that takes place in between regular intervals. Mine vs theirs. The only favourable outcome I have achieved so far from this screeching is my vocals cords have all toned up, though sadly not too good to put into use in a singing competition. Nonetheless this hullabaloo generated by my children on a daily basis has not changed my attitude towards them at all. My heart grows fonder day after day and my love for them deeper.

The children having a break from school has a positive side too. There is plenty of quality time that's being spent with each other and this - bonding, brings us much closer. As much as they create a mayhem, children also bring into our lives lots of fun, laughter and happiness.

    
The other day, extremely astounded, my seven year old came to me and said ‘Mom! I think she’s going to marry a frog.'    

My first reaction was a surprised, 'What! Who?' Although quite amused at this, I kept asking him how sure was he with his announcement. Then he went on ‘I am sure Mom. I heard her telling someone on the phone. Go, ask her.'
'Yes! Yes! Go ask her,' prompted my ten-year-old in an encouraging manner. Even though I found this outlandish, I thought it would be better if I got an explanation from my daughter so as to clear any doubts and alleviate all forms of suspicions from the perplexed two.

I was laughing my wits off when I heard my daughter very coolly say 'Oh that! My friend and I were talking about Walt Disneys’ The Princess and the Frog.'
'Marry a frog? What was he thinking! It happens only in Fairy Tales!'

    
Oh ! Dear Me! Why wasn’t I thinking?

(image source courtesy internet)

                                               

The Language Twist

Children love to imitate adults..They mimic..they act and recount words used by adults..However , as much as it seems unpleasant at times ,don’t we all love children , who delight us with their naive viewpoints or so to say, their uncorrupted philosophies. So today I want to share with my 'blogger friends', my article, with some anecdotes of my children , which appeared in a Sunday Paper a couple of years ago.



THE LANGUAGE TWIST
To dye or to die

Alarmed at the silver streaks which was quite visible in a few of my tresses, I hastened toward the washroom, with a packet of ‘henna’ and an old toothbrush, bumping on to him as I tried to dash ahead and my seven year old, wanted to know why I was in a hurry. Without elaborating, I told him in plain language, I was going to ‘dye’.

Immediately after spilling that doubled meaning word, I knew what a grave mistake I had made. In actual fact I had really confused him. I could see his baffled face and his tiny mouth opened wide. In an instant, I had made my son miserable. Cross at my own rashness, I immediately sat with him (my Henna experiment forgotten for the moment) and explained to him the difference between dye and die. I didn’t exactly clarify ‘die’, in depth...nonetheless he was convinced...and me? Wasn’t I reassured when I saw his toothless grin...!!!

On the whole, children still cannot grasp the meaning of some of the words used by adults. Hence we have to be careful with our phrasing when dealing with children. Employing simple and uncomplicated expressions make it easier for them to comprehend the language. At times, words which have two meanings should be used with great care where they are concerned.

If we notice our child to be disturbed over something we have said, let us make sure to rectify the problem immediately, by doing this there wouldn’t be any room for misunderstanding. Children every now and then, pick up a specific word by listening to adults conversations, although they may not know the meaning or the gravity of it, they try to apply it in their vocabulary; it is then the duty of the parents to let them know whether it is appropriate to use it in that context. They should not be reprimanded but have to be told in the kindest possible way which word is appropriate and which is not.

Kids often take us by surprise, like the other day at home, during bedtime (which is usually quiz time) when my two young sons drilled me for the umpteenth time. I must confess that I am consistently at a loss for words, in the midst of these two, for often, they pose questions intended for Martians!!! However, on this particular night, the older of the two, wanted to know, “Why people die?” Just imagine the plight I was in? Now...How would I define ‘die’ in the proper sense to my seven year old, whom I had already scared the wits out (during my Henna trial). How-so-ever after a thorough brain wrecking session, I gave him a kind of a structured reply by saying “someday, people grow old, someday, they become sick and someday, they eventually die” (I didn’t have a better response than this) and he, like an obedient student quietly took in, what he had just heard. And then all of a sudden looked me in the eye and said, “Then...how come??? YOU didn’t?” Didn’t he bowl me over, with that witty remark? Recalling that moment, today, it brings me a great sense of pride, to realize the immense pleasure our kids bring into our ever strenuous lives, even if it is sometimes, not a pleasant thing to hear.

Children look to their parents for everything and see them as role models. Bearing this in mind, we have to set good examples at all times whether in speech or in action, for they often imitate what they see and repeat what they hear. Parents should endow them with an extensive range of good books; help them read and make them understand. Motivating them, to ask questions based on their storybooks and textbooks, to heighten their confidence in their communication and comprehensive skills.Being a bystander in the initial perplexity of the’ dye or die’ hullabaloo, my youngest, (whenever he sees a packet of Henna in my hand) very solemnly pronounces, “Mummy’s old and she is going to die’.

He’s four now and has just entered kindergarten. Thus, I’ll encourage him to learn new skills in his class. Perhaps I’ll wait for another year to go by, to undo the tangle and teach him, the difference between ‘dye’ and ‘die’!!! And then, probably in a few more years, when he really comprehends the whole situation...wouldn’t I be relieved to hear him say “Mummy’s grey, so she’s going to dye...”!!!
Incidentally, my hair ‘dye-ing’ - scheduled a few hours from now - is going to be simply enchanting, for my snoopy ‘foursome’, who are in eternal anticipation to know how those silver streaks disappear every time I touch the hair with my magical wand (the old toothbrush of course!!!)
As a consequence, it will be demonstrated with out much ado, to the delight of my enthusiastic audience.

Click here to view my newspaper article

Getting Permission

Recently my sons aged seven and five came home from school with permission slips given by their respective class teachers, asking for parent’s permission, to let the kids go on a trip to an amusement park, which was being organized by the school. Persuading me with his usual charm , the older one got my permission to go on this trip.

Being the youngest and still unable to do things unaided, my five year old was not fortunate, but he happily accepted the fact, when I told him that I would allow him to go on school trips when he is older. And then ,he quickly marched to his brother, who was sitting on the other end of the room, to tell him what I had related.

I couldn’t help laughing when I heard the conversation between them.

My five year old son, “Mommy says, she’ll let me go on this school trip when I’m older.”

My seven year old replied, “when you are older, she’s dead".