Life Skills

        I used to be independent, carefree, impulsive and organised. But then I chose to have kids!! Simple tasks luke washing your hair or going shopping or meeting friends need planning when you juggle an eight year old and a three year old!!

You need to schedule feeding meals, napping, washing, bathing and leave a little time for emergency diaper change or tantrum just as you are ready to go!

All this makes you a pro at time management and makes you let go of not-so-important appointments (Dentist, Saloon, Spa!!) but then comes a time when you can’t avoid it anymore (Dentist, Threading, Massage!!) So you need to learn to give yourself a priority once in a while..Get a haircut or a relaxing spa massage or even a date with your husband!! With luck I have managed to successfully Be a mother and Have a life!! Here’s a peek…

Exercise : Every morning I wake up early and sneak out to find some quiet time for Meditation, Yoga or Exercise. I tell you these little beings smell you gone and wake up before you have even beaten the urge to go back to the comforts of the bed.. Soon I realised, the plan does not need to go for a toss!! No!! Take them along, said the voice inside. Sure, she’ll find it amusing to find a seat on your back when you are in a Dhanurasan or make you laugh hard just as you manage a calm Tadasan or Garudasan. But also, the ease with which they bend their bodies will make you wonder if old sages learnt from them and decided to pass on the knowledge to us!!

 

Cleaning : A messy house and a messier cupboard are a routine for all of us. I can make my way through toys and also find that last of clean pair of jeans brom the back of my dresser with ease. But then every once in a while, I wait for the time when the coast is clear (kid is napping) and try to do some cleaning. Well, she inevitably wakes up. Although she tries her best to help me, sometimes we end up with a bigger mess. She has worn my high heels and cat walked in to a spectacular fall, even tried on my scarves and stood in front of the mirror, tripping over and banging her head. I meanwhile, keep calm and count up to a million, waiting for all of it to get boring for her. Then magically, she gets used to the open chamber of secrets and even helps me gather and put away things in the right place.

 

Cooking: Kitchen is an alien place to everyone in the house except me. No one bothers getting into the details of where I store my flour, sugar and salt except my 3 year old!! She’s in love with watching the water flow and fill up my kitchen counter and not her Pooh Glass!! She thoroughly enjoys climbing up to the drawers and trying to get her own snacks. This rush to grow up is thanks to her elder sister who is independent. She fixes her own snack plate and lemonade and so must she!! I mean, let some time pass and I’ll be stress free rather than giving sceptical looks as soon as she innocently walks into my kitchen.

 

Night Strolls: My husband nowadays conveniently has an important “thing” to take care of whenever I mention taking kids along on our night strolls. It’s interesting since all we do is go out and try to come home in one piece with normal heartbeat and blood pressure. We also try to keep my 3 year old on the footpath instead of walking, running and jumping away from us. Also, to make our 8 year old breathe between two sentences as she goes on telling us everything that happened during her day in detail before getting interrupted by either one of us to toe the younger one in line. All in all, we usually end up being twice as stressed and one of us hitting the sack before the kids.

 

I always wonder how our parents managed multiple siblings and remained sane. I mean, I know they must have struggled just as I do. I and my brother used to do all these things and much more that I recall very well. I remember, pre Maggie era when I tried making French fries for both of us when my mom left me in charge once and she being scared of me handling deep frying. I also talked incessantly to anyone and everyone who cared to listen including strangers in train rides. This all must’ve been stressful but I recall them always being there for us. They were hands on parents and I have learned most of my habits by watching and observing them.

 

So I am hoping my kids are also watching, observing and learning. Because it’s very satisfying to know that you are teaching life skills to your little ones in your own small way at a time. So next time you do something and they interrupt, let them. They are learning, in the best possible way.

By giving them a peek into adult life we are sowing seed of these habits and familiarising them with what is coming ten years down the line. So someday, when the bird is ready to spread the wings and leave the nest, all they need is to gather the straw…