A little secret

Some secrets in life you can learn from watching babies.

Kunju might still be learning the ways of the world, but he can easily teach you a thing or two about living life. He always goes to sleep with a smile on his face and wakes up with another one. He amazingly watches people's face and gives them the widest possible smile that can melt even a rock. Whenever I watch these two gestures, it reminds me how easy it is for a person to steal your heart and make their day.

It reminds me of Krishna - the child with the infectious
smile who could melt Yashoda's heart after being caught eating curds, the youth with a loving smile who could make Gopikas dance in merry, and the knowing smile with which He answered Partha's questions.

Smile is a universal gesture that needs no learning. It needs no language to be understood. It has no boundaries and it will forever remain a youthful symbol of love, happiness and joy.

As one gets older, the act of smiling becomes more of an effort. One can think of a million reasons why its just plain hard to give a genuine smile, but when you look at the baby they make it so easy. After all, isn't life made up of these tiny moments, the fleeting second that is gone before you know it existed?

So smile in your sleep and you will have pleasant dreams, smile when you meet a person and you can make their day and look good in the process, and most of all smile when it gets difficult for Krishna is always with you. All one needs is to look inwards and see Him. Smile and spread love for He is not going to give you anything you cannot handle nor is He going to ever desert you.

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. ~Mother Teresa

A friendly look, a kindly smile, one good act, and life's worthwhile. ~Author Unknown

It takes a lot of work from the face to let out a smile, but just think what good smiling can bring to the most important muscle of the body... the heart. ~Author Unknown

*image courtesy Google search

Its different

It's around 1 AM and I am wide awake typing up this little thought into my iPhone.

These days being awake for feedings are easier and far more interesting; catching up on news, checking updates from friends on Facebook and of course reading up on blogs has becoming a customary outing at night. Four years ago with Kochu the nightly feedings in comparison was much more mundane, almost archaic in comparison.

It's amazing how things have changed in four years. In comparison, so much more would have been different when my mother gave birth to me. No baby monitors, no fancy musical swings, no car seats!

Can you imagine how much more it would change by the time our kids become parents?

*Image courtesy via Google Search

I want ...

About four days ago, Kochunni asked me for a car - to be specific a "Dinoco car" from the Cars movie. This was not the first thing he asked us for. There have been other things before - like the time at the shop when he asked for a toy car or when he told me his friends have a "big Iron man" and he would like to have one too. If we are out shopping, I would tell him that we came to the shop to buy something else not his toy and he would understand, or if we are at home I would tell him to pick up another car from the already overflowing collection. But this time it was different.

He never once relented. Every couple of hours he would ask, so when are we going to the shop to buy the car? So much so, that it was the first thing he asked me the next morning, 'Can we go to the shop today?' and then again on our way back from daycare, "Are we going now to the shop?" Two days of continuous questions. There was a couple of tears that followed, a little drama around "You are not buying it" but mostly the questions were it. The fact that he pursued it for two continuous days were most amazing to me.

My mind was in turmoil. The car probably would not cost much and I would have the pleasure of seeing his bright smile, at his wish being fulfilled; but a nagging thought persisted about teaching him values, about learning the difference between needs and wants. I talked to him, on how I cannot get all the cars his heart desires, Amma knows no magic I said. But he persisted, I have been a good boy he duly noted. Of course you have, but we are not shopping right now. I will think about it. After all you have so many similar cars, even McQueen the main car. But I don't have The King. I don't want Chick Hicks - he is the bad car, just Dinoco. And so it went. Little pep talks that followed his questions. But he persisted, in his little way.

In the end, I did buy him the car and I got to see his lovely smile. Later, he showed it off to everyone at home, even little Kunju and promised to share when he grew up.

This surely is not the last episode of a little desire that his heart will have but the first one that he pursued. I might not have done the right thing by buying the car, it might come to haunt me when he insists on the next toy. Then again, hard lessons take time to learn. I need to learn them too - on when he needs a little indulgence and when I need to draw the line. It's a hard road for both of us, but the road must be taken. So when the next 'want' comes along I will need to be better prepared for the both of us. Good luck to both of us.

*Image courtesy Google search

Mind that checker...

A spellchecker is a very handy tool. But remember its just that - a tool. It cannot replace proofreading. Repeat, it cannot replace proofreading.

I am enclosed herewith - Guess we are living in the Matrix after all?

Bare in mind to leave there things where you find them. - Your 'naked' mind is probably best to be left inside 'were' you are likely to find them easily.

Perfectly sound sentences if you check with a spellchecker. But even a customary glance can tell you something is wrong with the sentence. I often get emails at work, were folks have used the wrong word or used grammar incorrectly. In their hurry to send that email they forget the simple action of proofreading our teachers taught us.


(This post is being sent over to The Red Marker Blogathon being hosted by Sue.)

PS - Sue, I might not be following the rules here exactly, but I seem to run across this issue a tad much these days.

The ties of brotherhood ....

Before Kunju was born I wrote a post about changing family dynamics, about foreseeable fights between siblings. Of course family dynamics have changed - there is a toddler and a baby in the house, which means their needs, their choices are vastly different from each other. But for now the the famous siblings fights are far away. (kala tikka)

Kochu loves his brother - his baby. He helps me when its time for a diaper change, by setting up the table with a new diaper, wipes and butt rash creams. If the baby is crying he tries to sing to the baby and then like a boy that he is, and then runs away cringing his nose if the baby has pooped, yelling YUCK!

Sometimes he talks to the baby, telling him about his day at the daycare and gives strict instructions on not trying to suck his hand and to be a "good" baby. The baby for his part listens avidly and sometimes even responds with a 'ooh' or a 'ah', which in turn makes Kochu super excited. When the baby is lying down with his face away from him, Kochunni insists on one of us turning his head around to ensure that he can always see him.

Yesterday evening one such thing happened that makes this whole parenting gig a wonderful expedition. Being memorial day weekend, we made a trip to Lake Berryessa and Sacramento. We got home quite late in the evening and it seemed like the baby had a temperature. So when we got home, the first thing I did was to check his temp. Now being poked with the little thermometer was not something he liked and he started to cry almost immediately. Kochunni on the other hand ran to his toy chest and picked out his cars and started to play, while rest of the family was getting things from the car and quickly freshening up. After I checked the temperature, I tried to soothe the little guy but nothing was really working. He would stop crying for a bit and then cry again when I would put him down.

After a couple of tries, I put him down and went to get some water in the kitchen. Suddenly I heard the wail again, and I tried to talk to the baby from the kitchen, without going to him and continuing to check the fridge to figure out dinner. A second latter I hear Kochunni talking to the little guy " Endena kariyune? (Why are you crying?) Thermometer eshtaalla? (Don't like the thermometer?) Pani endo nokande. (Have to check fever, right). I put my head out of the kitchen to find Kochunni with his face very close to the baby, while the baby looking into his brothers eyes, as if seeing him for the first time, cries long forgotten.

Of course, Kochu has seen us talking to the baby, of course he himself has done the same thing many times before, but the simple gesture of stopping his own game and doing something without being asked or even told to quieten his little brother's cries was without doubt his own intrinsic nature - the unseen ties of brotherhood taking effect!