Appreciation- a forward

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.He passed the first interview; the director did the last interview.
The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?"
The youth answered "none".The director asked, "Was it your father who paid for your school fees?"
The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.The director asked, "Where did your mother work?"
The youth answered, "My mother worked as laundry woman.
The director requested the youth to show his hands.
The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.The director asked, "Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"
The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.The director said, "I have a request. “When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.”The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands.
His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the young man.The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.After finishing the cleaning of his mother’s hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: "Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"The youth answered, "I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'The Director asked, "Please tell me your feelings."
The youth said:
1. I know now what appreciation is. Without my mother, there would not have been the successful me today.
2. By working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done.
3. I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationships.The director said, "This is what I am looking for to be my manager.I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.
A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put him self first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of a person, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the childreninstead?
You can let your children live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, you want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your children learn how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learn how to work with others to get things done.

conversations!

On the way to daycare. ( somehow Mowgli and me have our most soul searching conversations at this time!)
"Mama, Mowgli schoolil povumbam mama cry cheyanda. Okay?"
Thinking to myself, " Why will I cry!!! I'll be so happy, hahahaha. " Okay Mowgli, I'll try not to cry. but will you cry?"
" Noooooooooo. Mowgli big boy aayille. so enthina karayane?"
Oh Yeah!!!

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My mother has been with us for a week and today she calls me at office. "Where is Cocoa?"
"What? Where is cocoa? Did you look everywhere?"
"Yes! Not there in the house."
"What? Where can she go? Did you check under the bed? Call her with a biscuit or something. Must be hiding somewhere." I'm very puzzled as to how can Cocoa disappear!
Silence at the other end.
"Mama, what? Did you find her?"
My mother bursts into laughter. " I'm not talking about your big fat dog! Where is cocoa powder? I'm planning to make a pudding!"
"Ohhhhhhhhhh.."
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lazy bones!

Its early in the morning and Mowgli and I are snuggling to ecah other. Suddenly he sits up and says, "mama, athenthu sounda?" (What is that sound?)
I tell him, "The birdies are telling you Get up Get up".
A big smile and eyes tightly closed, the reply comes " Alla Mama, birdies parayuva, Sleep Sleep"!!!!

He has inherited his aunts' ( both paternala nd maternal) laziness!

Of small boys and big dialogues!

I ask the BH to press my legs.
Immediately a small voice pipes up " Venda Dada... athu tanne marikolum!" (dada, no need. It'll go away on its own!!!!) I'm rearing a teeny weeny chauvinist at home!!!

The Threes begin!!!

Happy Birthday Mowgli boy :-)

Time does fly, isnt it. Three years before this time, I was still in the hospital starving and scared and sick of the whole thing. I just wanted you to come out and finish this pregnancy business!!! Who would have thought that you would grow up to be this cute boy ? (P.s.Cute is a very relative term and something which I think we will use sparingly and your grandparents will find it inadequate to describe you and people who see you for the first time will gasp in shock if they hear Cute associated with you!)

You have grown up to be a very very naughty boy! A nice kind of naughtiness but.
You love to hug and kiss other people especially children and there have been many instances where the other kid has pushed you away and said "No. Enough!"
You have to hear at least three stories every night and most days you give us the list of the animals that need to be in the story. Like the other day , you wanted a story about the "kubcow". It took us some time to figure out that you meant a "calf"!!!
Cocoa is now your friend and ally. You have been heard threatening random people with the phrase " Cocoa will come and bite you!" You are yet to realize that your big bad doggie is a pure softie and will happily go with all your enemies if they would just pat her!
And you are a riot at times like when you tried to give a Hi-Five to the priest who did your vidyarambam.. The poor man didnt understand and we converted it to a hand shake. Or the time when you dismantled the almost broken lift handle and brought it home without me seeing and when asked for an explanation told me " Mowgli repait cheyan konduvanatha!(I'm going to repair it). Your dada was unaware of this and screamed at the security guards about how the handle was missing from the lift door! Or the time when we were on the terrace and you were kicking a ball and suddenly stopped and told me " mama, clap cheyu. waka waka paadu. Mowgli fooball kalikuva!" ( Mama, clap your hand and sing Waka Waka. I'm playing football!)
You are just waiting to be a big boy to get that guitar and set of drums. I'm also waiting...with dread though!!!
We are friends most of the days though we fight every single minute.You are your dada's pet. The limits are more relaxed there and you take full advantage of that. You like music and one day on seeing a random cd asked me if it was "moyt chofan". Well,it was not Mohit Chauhan, but you did make my day.. hehehhehe.
So today as on all other days I pray for your wellbeing, that God will take care of you always, help you decide between right and wrong and be with you always.
We, tho are a constant!!!
Cheers!
Mama

P.S. you have gone to your daycare very excited about your 'Lion Cake' and how You and Dhruva and Rehaan will finish it all off!

introspection...

Most problems come from the insecurities within… of fears that once surfaced and now refuse to die down…. of not trusting the other enough…. of judging too soon and too harsh.

Two religions.. different rituals.. different thoughts.. but are they also different? The thoughts? Shouldn’t they be the link that bind?

Who is family? when do we move away from our parents? Treat them as extended family and not immediate.

Is trust overrated? Why cant we just let go? Believe that the other will be fair. Believe that we are priority. Believe in the decision. Treat everything else as noise. Cocoon ourselves in this family.

In our hopscotch world, we need to create our own family traditions.. borrow some.. make some.. but all those that we believe in… both of us.. for our family and the ones to follow….

Look at the life ahead and the years wasted… make an effort to reclaim lost land… realize the happiness in being together with each other.. for each other always…
Life…

And wat somebody told me very recently.. we create the atmosphere which determines how people will react to us/behave with us…

From the mouth of babes!

Me : “ Mowgli, what did you do in daycare today?”
Mowgli : “ mama, 3 moskikos bite me!” and proceeds to show me three minuscule marks.
Me grinning widely at the mosquitoes from Moscow! : “ and then what happened?”
Mowgli : “ Then three bluds came!”
We all lose it at this stage…

At night I’m singing some old song to him. “mama, ee paatu venda.. Mowglinte favrit paatu kaito aanu.” ( not this song. My favourite song is kaito). I totally don’t get which song this is. He gives me long explanations of how he used to listen to this song and all. Finally he gets totally exasperated with me and runs and gets my mobile. “ ithilanu kaito” (kaito is inside this).. and then it strikes me.. it was Kahin Tu from jaane tu ya jaane na.. that used to be the only song stored in my mobile and long time back it was kept on loop for him to sleep. Don’t know why he suddenly remembered that song.

From God who was an abstract, Mowgli has somehow understood that God can get things done! One night in our daily prayers the first line by Mowgli was “Dear God, mowglinte toys loftinu eduthu taaa!” ( Get me my toys from the loft!) . Because he was naughty and was not keeping his toys back, I hid them away and told him that he’ll not get it again. And the again another day, he got these Bible quotes and was pretending to read them. I told him he was too small for this and maybe once he starts big school he can read one everyday. The reply I get “ Illa mama.. Mowglinu vayikaam. God parayuva Mowglinu 1 kinderjoy and 1 car also venam nu” ( No mama, I can read. God says , get Mowgli one kinderjoy and one car also).. Really?????