Tag Archives: parenting

Things Google did not teach me about motherhood

Things Google did not teach me about motherhood

I hate to admit it but I am sort of a know-it-all. Actually I am a know-it-all. I do not know the roots of this attitude exactly but I certainly know that it worked out terribly for me as a new mother. Instead of asking veteran mothers questions, I Googled and Googled. I read all the “How to” motherhood books I could lay my hands on and YouTubed “little” things like breastfeeding, changing baby diapers and washing baby. I remember a mummy friend suggesting to me to go for classes on motherhood at one of… Continue reading →

My daughter is raising me

My daughter is raising me

My daughter belongs so beautifully in my life that sometimes I think I imagined her. That I imagined her innocent stare, or her silky skin, or her bubbly baby talk. Or her soft hair. I had never imagined though, that my daughter would raise me. My daughter is raising me to be a morning person. In my hey-days, I was the ultimate 10 hours a night minimum kind of girl. Now, I am the ultimate early riser. Her wails at 4am every morning leave me with no choice but to save my eardrums and pick… Continue reading →

Remember, mum?

Remember, mum?

Remember when I was four years old and I refused to sing the National anthem in school? In my four-year old mind, I thought that having a teacher as a mother should earn me some privileges- like getting out of singing, which I really hated.  Your version of the story was that I folded my hands on my back and said: “I am not singing, my mother is a teacher.” The teacher, quite alarmed, told you when you came to pick me from school that I had started “growing horns quite early”. But you were… Continue reading →

New breed of fathers

New breed of fathers

The atmosphere seems to be carrying some heavy expectancy…rushed…frantic. I don’t know what it is about this last quarter of the year (October to December) but it bears its own signature of the entire year. There’s a transition of sorts for someone (family friend) who has been in a stable relationship for the past 5 years. No children came of their union (which he deeply regrets). His wife is also handicapped but couldn’t see what she had to offer him after they discovered her uterus was damaged. He holds his chin in his hands as… Continue reading →

Nature vs Nurture

Nature vs Nurture

I am a mother of three and going through my first pregnancy. My ex husband and I were not able to have children biologically so we adopted the most gorgeous children; 2 boys and 1 girl. Like any family, we’ve had our challenges and concerns for our children, even now when we are not together. Ultimately, we are committed to our children and their well being. Last year a girlfriend set me up on a blind date with a man I decided didn’t suit me in any way. Lucky for me he was persistent. Two… Continue reading →

Runaway Mom

Runaway Mom

“There’s a lot more to being a woman than being a mother, but there’s a hell a lot more to being a mother than most people suspect”  Roseanne Barr  I have a confession. I hereby confess that nothing, nothing, nothing could have prepared me for being a mom. Don’t get me wrong, it has more perks than cons, but even moms need to get away from it all ….and recently I ran away from home… again. Let me explain. My brood of 3 range in age between 17 and 11. My teen daughter constantly reminds… Continue reading →

Parental Guidance Is Advised

Parental Guidance Is Advised

I was watching TV on Saturday morning, hoping to catch some funny cartoons to remind me of my not-so-distant childhood (cough cough, but do I say :)) but what I came across was disturbing, to say the least. When did cartoons become so…how shall I put it (at the risk of sounding redundant)…disturbing? There was a cartoon programme which showed an old lady speaking to a monstrous creature whose dialect I could hardly make out. Is this what kids are watching nowadays? Monsters, dragons, morphing humans turning into anything from a Transformers-like gadget to a… Continue reading →

A Girl’s P’s and Q’s

A Girl’s P’s and Q’s

Looking at Miss D now, I can hardly imagine what a tumultuous relationship we have had in the past seven years or so. Soon turning nineteen, she is a total lady and so helpful to me. She has embraced college life with a vigor. She plans and help me settle into an early retirement, while enabling her siblings to have nothing but success and the best of life. Now that I look at her focus, her positive aspirations, her closeness to me and need to make all things good for her family. Wow! I thank… Continue reading →

Mine would never ever…

Mine would never ever…

I am laughing. I usually do when I bring these words to mind or hear someone uttering them. Life is so funny and so regular. Constantly you hear proud parents and guardians hard at it, vowing that their charges would “never ever “be caught doing this or that. Yet, saying this is akin to tempting fate. Just when you were sure they would “never ever”…they go and do a ridiculous, annoying and shocking thing. Sometimes worse than what you had vowed that they would never. Take love for instance. I used to swear by my… Continue reading →

Does it still take a village to raise a child?

Does it still take a village to raise a child?

Ok, so first of all, happy belated Easter. Clearly I’m in a whole other time zone coz Easter totally passed me by. I did however have a chance to go out of town and visit some relaz. While there, I observed something that I thought I’d put to a vote with my readers so please indulge me. I was around several children of varying ages; 2, 5 and 10. Let’s just say that their behavior left a lot to be desired. In fact, I turned to another relative and declared them to be my most… Continue reading →