Palaces & Zoo, And the Flag too

 

15^th Aug ‘16

Dear Mommy & Daddy,

Rushing to school, playing, learning, socialising, coming up with cute antics, being naughty, being a sweetheart again – Tough job I got there!!

So thank you for bringing me for this short Independence break.

Really needed this work-life balance.

On this road trip, hope you both are gaining some experiences that should make our next outing – where I would get the opportunity to dispense more lessons to you - even better.

Some Experiences... some Expectations... some Questions here::

1)     Am a toddler.

Will sleep for a while (awww so cutely) when the car is lulling me.

But once am awake, have to live up to the expectations in our “2 Years Tots” closed group.

When I can very well run around, why should I sit in the confined spaces of a 4-wheeler?!

2)    Ok mommy, so you took efforts to pack healthy home food for me.

But darling, when I have “restaurant chicken” in front of me, smelling so heavenly and looking so completely un-healthy & yummm… why should I have that non-unhealthy home food?

Don’t I anyways have it every other day?

3)    I haven’t understood - why should I keep grinning at myself on the phone screen?

Oh, you call it a selfie.

Guys, could you please excuse me from this self-obsessed routine?

The Princess Diaries

4)    The Palace hotel is MINE!!

Wipe off that amused look - you are the ones responsible for fostering this belief coz you (esp. Daddy) are often referring to me as your “Princess”.

I own this place, so am gonna run around at full speed even if you feel that might cause me to trip/ slip and fall.

5)    Yes, that awesome carrot cake has been sent for me by the Queen.

No – none of your other explanations will work.

Yes - I can devour all of it without sharing with you.

6)    Wowieeee….. That other huge palace looks beautiful.

Could we go in and check it out too? No?

Just coz there’s such a crowd that won’t let us reach the ticket counter!!

But then the Queen has called for me – have to meet her!!

No?

Ok… tantrum time then.

My Zootopia

7)    Ummm… Can either of you guys take up the job of zoo manager / zoo organizer?

Most of the animals that I recognise have been placed towards the end of the long long stretch. Am I not supposed to doze off by then?!

Reminder – Am a toddler.

8)    Please do explain, why did you show me innumerable birds & monkeys in the beginning?

I know birdie, I know monkey. Period.

I don’t need to know all the species right away!!

So next time, may we start zoology from the reverse direction?

9)    I love the swinging big black monkey though.

Her parents are so not strict.

If only you allow a big tree in our living room, I could do the same!!

10)  That leopard pacing around – he’s looking at me & grinning.

May we take him home as my pet?

11)  Why is the lion just sitting there – mostly with his eyes shut?

Isn’t he supposed to growl, at least once, to impress me? What a lazy bum!

12)  And if the tiger can go swimming, why aren’t you allowing me??!!

Nope – your trite explanation of my swimming costume not being there doesn’t work.

Tiger is not wearing one either!! (angry Me)

Little Princess wants to play

13)  I do appreciate that you are taking me for a stroll in the rains.

But seriously, I would love to get drenched up in the hills rather than having you holding an antiquated umbrella over me.

And hello, whatever happened to jumping in muddy puddles, like Peppa??!!

14) Whoa!! What’s this? Truckloads of sand…. Rush…. Run…. Sand parrrrttttyyyy!!

What?! Am not supposed to be playing with the sand here?

Just coz it’s some “mouse”um and someone has made those pretty sand forms!!

How about I ravage some and then make my own forms? No?

Life is unfair!!

15)  So to make up for this, you want me to go for a horse carriage ride?

But I don’t want to.

I can’t hurt the poor horsey!

16)  I prefer dancing in the garden, below the pretty flower arches.

This is wonderful.

Yeah, let me relish my time here.

17)  And I love climbing up these marble stairs… and running down the long corridors… and that huge verandah.

And saying Hi to the colourful fishies in the tank.

Oh this one surely feels like my own Palace too. (Don’t exchange those looks)

I so feel that I belong here.

The Patriots… & the Brave Princess

18)  So you think you can pay homage to the relics at the Railway Museum by enticing me with a toy train ride? Well, you didn’t bargain for me snoozing again did u?

Dudes …. Enjoy the 2 laps of the ride. Am giving you a chance to relive your dating years.

Oh u say that’s not easy when you are busy protecting my ears from the blaring toy train horn!! Well, your call!!

19)  I love the flag hoisting ceremony.

I know India flag. Orange-White-Green.

I love to salute.

But why can’t they sing Jana Gana Mana twice??!!

20)  So I have a cut/ bump that has got you worried.

Do you realize that’s my secret ploy to wrench that pink lollipop that you had hidden from me?

Come on folks, me on a picnic.

It has been such a Fun-tastic trip. When are we going for the next one?

Love,

“Your Princess” ;)

Daddy Daddy Cool… Cool !!

It’s the Two-s, I tell you.

It is day Two of this month - our Two year old tot completes Two months at her preschool and the Two of us couldn’t be happier with our choice.

The last Two months have been a whirlwind of settling her down – and well settling us down too - so hadn’t quite settled my mind to reminisce about the first day!!

So, after I dropped her off to school, took a deep breath & thought about the saga that led to today.

A few months back…

Mr Cucumber devolved on Ms Nutty, the “delightful” responsibility of selecting the pre-school where Miss Apple would start her “education”.

To clarify - Daddy is the Cool Cucumber avatar. Daughter is the Apple of our eye. Thus, in this simile game, I must be the crazy Nut!!

Now hats off to fabulous persistent advertising, branded pre-schools were deeply embedded in my psyche. Badgered by me, the Two of us (plus an unsuspecting little one) made the trip to Two such schools on Two consecutive weekends.

“Oh baby!” I thought, as she sat on my lap in the car, “You are going to be away from us for at least Two hours.”

“Chill darling – she needs to start school someday”, Mr Cucumber speaks up.

“Yeah right” – I snarled in my mind – “Easy for you to say because you don’t spend 24 hours with her.”

The Right Choice at the Right Time

But the school visits put us in dilemma.

Dilemma #One: Where is that instant “connect” we were supposed to feel with the school?

Dilemma #Two:: But we wanted to keep her school within Two kms of our residence.

Though unconvinced, we were about to finalise a school for her, when at the right moment, a dear friend purred into the phone “Montessori still exists darrrrrling !!” [Grateful forever, dear friend]

Voila! I had now shortlisted the methodology that I wanted our daughter to get inducted into.

Turned to the friendly search engine which led us to a friendly school.

Two things made up our two minds –

#One) The feel of the quaint school with a lovely garden.

#Two) The interaction with their crew.

Now we were sure - this is where our darling would start her formal education - a friendly secure environment.

Going Nutssssss

And Ms Nutty set out to prepare for the D-day, going nuts over

• what would Apple wear on the first day
• what we need to carry for her: hankies, socks, diapers, change of clothes...∞
• “THE” right bottle
• figuring out what would be the right combo of snacks to send
• labelling everything
• memorising the route to and from school to fulfil the drop-pick up duty
• locating yoga/ music/ dance/ swimming/ crafts/…. heck, whatever classes [a café would also suffice] nearby to keep me occupied
• meticulous planning of which of us would stay and for how long with her in the first week

And the list is not even exhaustive.

Oh yes, Cucumber has been missing for a while.

Exactly [angry feeling] – he was missing in the entire ideation process [though he was helping me execute some]

And me, well I had these moments of angst and hence ire towards the man – “Hello … aren’t you supposed to be a little more involved?”... and listen to my plans for the zillionth time.

Confession here – Admired how he could be so placid.

D-Day

D-day was here. Finally, dressed the Apple in a pretty red dress – a blessing from my mom.

We drove her to school –

~ Nutcase obsessing over mandatory milestone photos to be clicked

~ Cucumber with his sedate demeanour intact

~ Apple, clueless again

And then the moment – as imaginary trumpets played in my mind, a friendly “aunty” stretched out her hand and took the unsuspecting little one inside.

Lump in my throat. Couldn’t believe my child who had so long been under my protective wings is flying off to a new start.

And I was just wondering if I should shed some tears (had heard so much about this – I always thought I would manage some too). 

Alas! Before the droplets could make their way from the catchment area, I happened to glance to my right.

Where Is Cucumber??

What’s happening?? Help! A goofy grin is conquering my face!!

           

And Cucumber wasn’t to be seen!!

In his place I saw an emotional daddy with anxious eyes and a brave face. And did I just catch a lump in his throat too?

He just kept staring… at the little back crossing the threshold & going in to explore what would be her environment for the next few years.

“Has she really grown that fast?! I still recall holding the little swaddled bundle in my arms – cautiously so as not to drop her, so as not to wake her up. And she’s already off to school??!!”

Nutty could just grin & nod.

“She didn’t even turn to look at us”

[aaah well, she did come running out 10 minutes later looking for us and with tear-streaked cheeks]

“Do you think she will be fine inside? She’s never been without us. What would she be doing? Will she manage to take care of herself? Did we have to put her in this early?”

[Daddy, it’s been just Two minutes and the teachers around her are very confident and capable]

Nutty grins confidently – “She will be fine”.

Je-Kool And Hyde

So that’s it Daddy!! 

The calm Je-(cool)-kyll demeanour was something that I saw and was perhaps a way to keep the Nut calm.

But in all my nuttiness, had missed that you are Hyde-ing this deep concern about our precious one being away from us. That although you would be happy and proud, you have been apprehensive about the moment when she might not require us anymore for some stuff that she would now independently handle.

And you might, with all your Daddy might, want to hang on to the moments that are fleeting by.

Yes daddy - your darling princess, your precious doll is now out to explore the world. She has indeed grown Two fast :)