Hello everyone!
Hope you are well and enjoying the summer holidays! I am good and trying to make the most out of it! The other day when my hubby came back from work, I decided to go out for a walk. I thought I will be really quiet and sneak out when my kids were busy showing something to their father. I was quiet, I slipped into my shoes, very quietly open the front door and closed it. But by then I could hear my son, ‘O mummy where are you going?’ I shouted ‘to the doctors’ and left. While climbing down the stairs, I thought that my own mum used to do the same. Everytime, my mum used to go out, she would say ‘I am going to the doctors for an injection’. How many times though? Everyday? Everytime? And I used to believe it. My younger brother was the same and when I used to go out with my mum, I used to join my mum and say that ‘I am going to the doctors with ma’. Years after years, generations after generations some tricks, some excuses, and some survival essentials do not change. I’m sure that you too must have witnessed many such cute tricks and excuses and knowingly or unknowingly are using them with your kids.
I must admit that I come up with some of the tricks, ideas and excuses from time to time. Some of them are purely out of necessity, isn’t it? Other than kids, no one has the energy to go out for a bicycle ride after hours in the park and then you have to come up with something creative such as after 5 o’clock, kids are not allowed with their bicycles! Presenting a few of them with the hope that I’m not the only one 🙂
1) It’s closed today
O this is my favourite one! When I’m too tired to go out with my kids, all of a sudden all the shops and parks come to a complete close down. In some situations, the shopkeeper would call me on my invisible phone and I would miraculously get the message. The shopkeeper just called and said that he had an emergency at home. He told me ‘not to visit the shop today’. But mummy can we go to another shop? To that I have to be super creative and say something such as, ‘The shop keeper would feel bad that we bought it from the other shop’. ‘We’ll go tomorrow, ok?’. I sometime close down all the parks. All the parks are closed today, as they are mowing the grass. I don’t know if I have used the exact excuse but have definitely closed down a few parks.
2) It’s not allowed
Sometimes, I have to check it again and wonder did I really made that up? As JK Rowling said, ‘We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: We have the power to imagine better’. To the umpteen questions reasonable to them and to the same questions which are unreasonable to us, I’m sure you too must have come up with something such as ‘it’s not allowed’. It’s amazing to see that they take it very seriously as to ‘what’s allowed and what’s not. As a parent, when my son comes up to me and asks ‘mummy am I allowed?’ I myself wonder, ‘allowed or not allowed?’. Am I that wise to make that decision? I am also a seven year old mother, it’s new to me too but thankfully our kids don’t know that. So I make the call and you make yours. Pretty new or pretty old to motherhood, no judging please. My call and your call!
3) Strong muscles/ Taller
With every bite of the vegetables, there is a bit of muscles added. ‘Is that your muscle, must be the vegetable that you ate yesterday?’ I can see a tiny smile with that. I used to say that you have grown an inch taller but now he can measure his height, so the flexed muscle is safer. I think my mum used the same ideas to make me eat fruits. She used to say that my cheeks look a little pinkish because of the apple. My grandma used to be so dramatic, she would say’I almost didn’t recognise you, must be that apple?’ I can still remember, I used to feel so proud. The other day, I took my kids and some of his friends to the park. He came running to me and said, ‘mummy I broke this piece of bamboo’. I didn’t even think and said ‘it must be the dal, rice and vegetables that you ate yesterday’. He said, ‘shh it’s a secret’ and smiled. I thought I know that smile, I am familiar with that smile, it felt so nostalgic and a whole stream of such memories flooded up my heart.
4) Making up new concepts
The other day I was waiting in the bus stop. A bus stopped but a lady narrowly missed the bus. She was furious and I could sense it that something unpleasant was coming out from her mouth. I hurriedly said, ‘it’s so crowded, let’s take the tube instead’ and started moving. But the words had already started coming out and the ripples of that a****hole hit my son’s ear. My son being a fast learner immediately picked up on that?. ‘Mummy what’s an arshale?’ Now here’s a test for our smartness and creativity. I said, ‘O she is not a fan of Arsenal’. And that’s why she is addressing the driver of that bus as Arsenal’. Phew!! Now, how clever was that?!! Well not really but anything to shield them as long as I can.
Sometimes out of necessity and sometime because of the passing of the torch, just like me do you make up silly stories, tricks and excuses? And wish you all a very happy friendship day:-)
Much love
Suranjita
