Random Thoughts

Shraddha comes and tells me "Amma, my friend says that if I don't take hair bath everyday, I will die".

My basic instinct is to grab this other child that very minute and give her a tight slap, for putting such nonsense into my child's head. Then the very next minute the realisation sinks in, that I cannot do such a thing because

1)I am a mother. I am supposed to behave in a mature way, befitting of imitation by the child.

2) I live in a civilised society, where there are other means of handling problems rather than barbaric acts.

So I take a deeeeeeeeeeeeeep breath and address my child "Kanna, what your friend has said is nonsense. If you don't take hair bath for a longgg time, you hair just gets dirty..nothing else happens. The next time your friend says something like this, please come and call me. I would like to talk to her". As an afterthought I add to no one in particular "If talking to the child does not work, I will go and talk to the child's mother. I have a strong feeling that such misconceptions arise in the home environment". Sathish is a bit bewildered at my strong reaction, but no one messes with my kid's heads. If things happen, to counter the time and energy I spend on making my kids heads right, I bet I would get into a fight for all that, with anyone.

This is just one simple example, but so many things get narrated at home when the children come back after a play time. It is distressing to hear that and tiring to keep on reiterating our core values and to do what is right. Yes I can hear it aloud "Hey, but isn't that what parenting is all about ?". Right. I fear this is just the beginning of external influences. God save us through teenage times of the kids !