Dearest Samu,
Today as you begin a new phase of your life, I wish to share some lovely moments of motherhood with you. I might not say this often, however, I admit that you are a wonderful child. You gelled up very well with your grandparents, uncle and aunt. You never made faces and never threw tantrums in public (though at home you drive me crazy). You never cried endlessly for a specific toy in shops or Mall.
You love travelling my dear, just like your parents and grandparents do. You made the first trip to your Dad’s native place when you were just 3.5 months old. I was quite worried, as to how will I handle your outbursts in train, however, you slept the whole night peacefully. Many of the co-passengers were surprised to see you fresh and lively the next morning.
The next trip we went was, when you were 9 months old. It was a 10-day trip and we covered some beautiful places like, Bangalore, Mysore, Ooty, Madurai and Rameshwaram. You enjoyed every bit of the trip, be it the monkeys, the deer or playing with baby elephant. You loved rolling down on the soft blanket of grass in Brindavan Gardens, Mysore. I effortlessly handled you throughout the journey.
Just when I thought things are so beautiful with you around, you had a minor accident while playing and the elbow of your left hand got dislocated. It was at about 11pm at night when this incidence happened. I still remember the way you cried, I couldn’t handle it. It was the first time, I saw you cry so much, I knew it was hurting, but I was helpless. We rushed to the hospital, took an X-ray and the doctor suggested to put a plaster. You refused to co-operate. It was the first time in the 9 months you threw tantrums. No matter how much I tried to cajole you, you cried, screamed on top of your voice. You were adamant and didn’t allow the doctor to touch you. That’s when I had to be stern. I had to do it. I held you tightly and asked the doctor to proceed. It was very difficult for me to do it, but I had no other option.
That’s the time, I knew, motherhood is not only about being goodie-goodie, it’s also about taking the action at the right time. You had the plaster for about 15 days, after which you refused to use your left hand. You became grumpy and were never in a mood to play. It took around 45 days for you to completely recover from all this.
I heaved a sigh of relief, not knowing that, ‘Picture toh abhi baaki hai mere dost’.
Then began the everyday ‘Food Battles’, which still continue, my dear. You refused to eat solid foods. It was herculean task to feed you. That’s when I realized the significance of the word, ‘Patience’. The doctors suggested, I leave force feeding you. They even said, if you are hungry, you will eat. But, how could I just leave it. My 2 year old, was surviving on milk that’s it. Then to top it all, there were agony aunties, who never missed a chance to taunt. It was quite difficult and depressing my dear, but mum-ma had to face it.
Your fussy behavior, led me explore the unexplored side of me. That’s when I started experimenting and cooking. I tried new dishes every day; I read food blogs and made the best use of weekends. You loved most of the stuff I made, however you were lazy to eat. You preferred gulping down a glass of bournvita or glass of juice, rather than having chapatti or rice.
However, I was quite amazed to see you eat a full plate of Pav-bhaji at your friend’s birthday party. You are a very good girl, when you go out to eat. You eat everything from your plate, but at home, you take hours to finish a single chapatti.
I am yet to figure out the reason behind this. Maybe, once you are grown up and read this, you will have an answer (fingers crossed).
Then came, the next big step- ‘Play-school’, however, unlike other children, who cried and stuck to their parents, you happily entered the school gates and were busy chatting with friends. You loved to go to school, you loved doing home-work and you managed to be a teacher’s pet, which your mum-ma never could be.
Your pre-school years also went away effortlessly. I never compelled you to study, but, I admit at times, I did shout at you, when you were little laid back. When situations demanded, I had to be little strict, but the best part was, you always accepted it.
Today is the first day of your primary school, and you got up early morning. You were little impatient, you were excited to meet your friends. You were very excited about your new books, your tiffin box, water bottle, bag and new shoes.
Dear daughter, I wish to tell you one important thing, these are the platinum years of your life. These years are the stepping stones for your bright future. Learn for the joy of learning, not for grades. I agree grades do matter, for higher studies, however, I don’t wish to burden you. I want you to learn life skills; I want you to be emotionally strong. I want you to be someone with a ‘Never say Die’ attitude. I want you to explore, to experiment, question and imagine.
Enjoy the moments with your friends, play, laugh, scream, fall, make mistakes, and learn from them. Just remember one thing, no matter what the situation, your mum-ma will always be there for you. I cannot promise to be physically present or have a solution for all your problems. However, I would be there to listen to you.
You make this journey of motherhood entertaining with your smiles and never ending chatter.
Love you,
Mum-ma
