Growing up with Yash

PC: Yash the poser, Vickram behind the lens. 'I see trees of green, red roses too, I want to watch our children bloom, for me and you!' -Louis Armstrong Show them it's a wonderful world, a beautiful life, We learn from our mistakes, encounter challenges and deal with strife! As a parent, it is our constant endeavour to keep our children out of harm's way, an instinct if you please. So the first time I heard about the Netflix release, 13 reasons why, I was aghast at why a young girl would want to give up her life and document the reasons too. I struck up a conversation with my teenaged nephew, asking him if he had watched this series. He had, and he advised me not to watch it as it was too depressing. Though I haven't watched it yet (I've taken the advice of my very insightful nephew), I believe that it is important to fill our children with positivity, just in case... I was talking about this over lunch today with a very dear friend, a lovely huma...

I have to admit that my 9 year old son, Yash is quite the papa's boy. Father and son are inseparable. At first i'm green with envy that I may never have that special a bond between me and my son. But then, I realise, what I have is a great family bonding and we work, playing out our roles perfectly. What I have with Yash is pretty special too, I guess:) I thank my luck, every day, for having such a wonderfully loving father and son duo. I have seen Yash revere every single action of his dad. This father's day, I felt I could recount the top 5 reasons why he is a superhero to Yash. Super Power 1 - Hypnotic Stories  Yash has had the pleasure of listening to his dad recount the million, gazillion stories from his own life, when he was a child. Daddy dear uses stories as a way of reconnecting with the past, helping Yash to understand his roots. These stories often shape Yash's behaviour as they are practical and personal. I'm myself, still caught in a tran...

This year my parents completed 40 years of blessed married life. It was a joyous occasion for all of us and we daughters (three of us) decided to celebrate this with a surprise party. We invited the family and friends and had a pleasant evening filled with lots of memories and fun! One of the thoughts was to have my parents relive their life stories through movie posters. This turned out to be a fun project as we got to pore over years of memories. We took help of a designer and the result was just amazing. Leading upto the party, we decided to write a poem and dedicate that to our parents. We also hit upon the idea that it would be wonderful if the children recited the poem in a video dedication. Look at the children recite and mime the poem for their grandparents.... Video Ode for Ammamma and Babu Thatha During the party itself, I noticed that Yash had no fear of the stage. He was eager to hold the mic and make announcement...

Introducing our protagonist, Yash, my 8 yr old son. The story begins with a loud scream that was heard from outside through our kitchen window on the fourth floor. The screams were calling out my mother in law. Fortunately, my husband, Vickram ( eligible for best supporting actor), was at home, heard the screams and went to the kitchen window. A much relieved Yash, asked his dad to come down immediately.  As Vickram reached the scene of action, Yash recounted ( time for a flash back) his story so far. That day, Yash and his friends had witnessed a few (read 10) boys, who were  throwing stones at Oreo. Oreo is a stray dog that has been adopted by a few of our apartments' kind residents. This loveable mutt is seen around our apartment complex, minding its own business, not disturbing anyone. Oreo, in this story, is the damsel who needed to be rescued.  The scene was set to fight mode, where Vickram witnessed that Yash was holding a long stick that he had found fa...

I stand this ground, for almost three decades Strong and beautiful with paint that sometimes, fades. I was built with mortar and bricks, a lot of thought and a plan I've harboured under my care, one fantastic clan! Through my windows and doors, as the sun rays flow in My Lady, the 'Rani', works her magic in the kitchen. Her lips carrying a smile always, she goes about her day Forgiving and loving, always with a kind word to say. Majestic teak panels, adorn my walls in all glory My Master, the 'Raja' of this beautiful family tree. The world comes to him for his thoughtful advice His girls come first, no matter what the sacrifice. On my floors of marble, he rolls and glides, It is in him, everyone confides. My walls hold no secret from him, Loving this family to the brim. Like my foundation, under the ground There's an old soul leaving me spellbound. She rules the roost with her iron fist in velvet glove, Her kn...

As Yash has grown older (now a few months over 8), I feel like I have a lot more time for myself now. He doesn't need me as much as he used to before. Not that he ever felt my need, I've always felt the need to be there for him. Now, I just find him more and more independent. With my new found time, I felt the urge to take up a home improvement project. Disclaimer: This is not my usual rant on parenting or raising our brilliant son. This is purely a mom's attempt at home improvement. If you expect anything else, give up reading now and move on to some other parenting blog ;) Taking inspiration from some Vastu and Feng Shui, I decided that we'd make a mirror for our living room. Vickram, my husband is a true son of the sun. So we settled for making a sun shaped mirror. Pinterest was my go to source for inspiration. Here is how we did it, all in pictures. Materials: Mirror (2 ft radius, circular) Mirror adhesive tape (should be available where the mirrors are sol...

Three days ago, Yash (my 8 yr old son) who had gone out to play with his friends came rushing home with a bloody finger. Aghast, we washed and administered first aid. Then came out the story behind the incident.... Four of the boys had gone out to play, One found a blade on the fateful day... One said 'Not real, it's just a fake', 'I'll test it first then you take'.... Snip went the blade on the first boy's hand, Snip went the blade on the second boy's hand... They all came running really fast, Leaving us parents completely aghast!! Though I'm able to find humour in the situation now, that day was spent in disbelief at the children's stupidity. I shudder to think of what all could've gone wrong. It was just a small cut and we immediately rushed both the boys to the doctor nearby to get a tetanus shot. Luckily, since they both had had their vaccinations, they didn't need one. When in a group, children come under peer pressu...