Gloomy & indeed

I was asking my husband K in my daughter T's presence, "Are you going to Bombay for that meeting tomorrow?"

He replied, "Yes." (He was going on work.)

T immediately commented with her bit, "'Yes' Appa says gloomily."

Gloomily? I asked her. Yes, she said. So I asked her what she meant. She explained, "Oru madhiri, dark and the clouds will be like a ghost...or like a cave...he is saying 'Yes' in a very sad voice. that is called 'gloomy'.

**

I told T that she would need to keep her hairclips safe. She replied with: "Indeed, I have kept them safe."

Indeed? I ask her in amazement. What does that mean? She explains patiently, "See here, 'They were pretty indeed, but their selfish nature made them ugly'." She was quoting from Cinderella I think!

Not sure if she knows what 'indeed' means yet. ;)

T and her hair!

For the umpteenth time since her haircut a few days ago, T asked me: "Ma, WHY did you cut my hair so short?"

I told her I hadn't meant it to be so short, but...and anyway, she was beginning to get lice in her hair and so I told her that if she was getting lice, then she would need to have it short.

She kept quiet and then came out with, "The lice can sometimes stick to my hair like a magnet, no? And my hair is like metal."

Metals and magnets now...whew.

Birthday gift?

I asked T what she wanted as a gift for her birthday. She said, "Ma, you have already got me so many things, so I don't want anything!" I asked her if she was sure and she replied:
"CONFIRM-ah I don't want anything."

Yematraadhey!

Tomorrow is T's birthday and so we (T & I) were discussing the programme. I told her I would take her out anywhere but that we would have to be back home by 6 as I would have to go out at 7 pm.

She asked me: "What about Appa?" I said yes, he and I were going. She asked me where to and I told her 'for some Rotary party'.

She thought for a moment and said, "I know, I know, you both are going for some movie. Every time you say some work, and keep going for cinemas. Yennai yemaathi yemaathi poreenga, I know, I know."

I want to be...

T has decided she wants to be a doctor, an engineer AND a teacher.
Oh, well, why not?:D

Steam elimination

At home, K said he had a bad throat and needed hot water. He meant hot water with salt for gargling, but T thought it was for inhaling the steam.

She summed it up and said knowingly, "it is for ELIMINATION'.
;)

Don't drink and drive / T's campaign

When we were driving back from the cinema theatre, T looked at a sign above the traffic signal that said: DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE ...and then told me, “Ma, don’t drink and drive!”

I was momentarily shocked to think this child knew about alcohol and asked her…”What?!”
She said, “Ya, don’t drink (mimed taking out a bottle of water always kept in the car, and taking a swig out of it)….and drive (simultaneously at an imaginary steering wheel).

Ahh. I saw.

OKAY!

Silly Film, Sura: Movie review

T, my friend and I went for Vijay’s latest mock-horror flick Sura. She enjoyed Vadivelu’s antics and was suitably impressed with Vijay’s dolphin-like corny swimming, but in the end, she declared: “What a silly film!” My friend and I were amused to think this kiddo too realized it since until then, she seemed to be having a ball.

But then, she said, “This film has a bomb and all. What a silly film!” Apparently, the bomb-scene did not go down well with her.

T's review on hotel resort

T, K and I just got back from 2 days at the Radisson Temple Bay resort in Mahabs. She wrote the following words on it with no spaces between words and artfully placed hearts;): -

SO NICE I WANT AND I LIKE THE FOOD

AN I SWAAM IN THE POOL

AND I WILL COME AGEN.

Comment

T saw me using Microsoft Picture Manager and told me: "Picture Manager...YOU are."

Look after!

T asked me for a puppy. I told her I cannot get her one as I cannot look after the pup. She said she would look after it. I said NO.

She appealed to her Dad. He said, "If Amma says OK, then yes." I said, "I say no because neither your father nor you, will look after it."

"No, I will, I will look after it." said T. Sensing trouble, T's Dad said, "T, first learn to look after yourself. Then, we will see.

T came back immediately with: "I am already look-aftering me".

:-)

Girls name!

T loves the water and so, we finally put her in swimming camp a week ago. The coach is a young man named Dhina.

As I want her to know people by their names & not be vague, I gave her the info.

Then, she asked me: "Isn't that a girl's name?":)

Not without my husband.

I told T as I was urging her to get into her cot at bed time that she could use the cot only for another year or so. After that, I told her she would have to sleep on a separate bed.

As T began to protest with "Oh, NO...", K piped in with, "And that bed will be in the next room!"

T began her vehement 'Never!'s and then quickly added, "Never. Only with my husband I will sleep there."

Don't sweat, mom!

This was when I went up to T at her cot at bedtime for the usual good night kiss and 'I love you T / I love you Amma' routine.

Today, she was at her dramatic best and playing with Barbie and another Barbie-like doll, conducting an 'accented' conversation between them, American ishtyle. When I went up to her, we kissed, hugged and then she continued her dramatic tone and addressed me: "I love you, Amma, and I don't want you to go for your meetings...and I don't want you to verthukottify (sweat it out) at the computer."

It was all oh so earnest and sincere with a liberal dash of over-acting, that it was guffaw time for me. She then gave me a long, Bollywood style hug, and I was wondering at the extra display of affection...until I caught her staring dramatically at the mirror at her own reflection whilst lying on my shoulder. Self-gazing in progress!

Evolution: Men were mice!

I was reading a book and instructed T to do the same. She was reading Angelina Ballerina, one of her favourite stories, and as she is still learning to read, soon became engrossed in it.

Angelina Ballerina is a story of a young mouse named Angelina who loves ballet to a point of practising it all over the place, ignoring daily routines, until her parents enrol her in ballet lessons to her absolute joy.

T tried out Angelina's dancing postures and so on, keeping herself occupied with the book.

Then she announced as a conclusion to the room at large: "So, before we were people, we were all mice!"

Amma no genius *sniff*

T was getting ready for bed and was heartily tired of my 'go to sleep!' barking. She announced to me: "I had a dream last night that my father was a genius man!"

Said I: "What?"

T replied smugly, "A genius MAN. Not you, mother. Just my father!"

I turned around to see another smug face in the room.
Yes, it was the genius man's indeed.

How Long?

T was playing an online game on the computer - think it was Angelina Ballerina.
She had also told me the night before, that she was going to learn ballet (With the 't'!) when she grew up.

I had to give her a bath and so, I asked her to stop playing in 10 mins...then 5 mins...then I said to her, "How much more time? I have already given you enough."

She said, "Just little more..."

I persisted, "How long?"

T replied, "Some long".

Clever!

K and I were talking about something and one of my retorts was "That was stupid of you."

T apparently overheard and said in a warning voice, "Ma, I hope you know you both are talking with a child."

Both K and I paused (read:froze), but didn't turn towards her. T continued, "Don't you know that I am very clever in listening?"

Conversation over.

Observation!

T, K and I were lounging around when I suddenly decided to indulge in a spot of nagging ...with my husband. "You really need to cut your nails," I told K reprovingly as I eyed his hands.

T, never to be left out of any conversation promptly agreed: "Ya. Appa, your nails are looking like my mother's friends' nails!"

This was too hilarious because some of my friends do, indeed, have long (painted!) nails.

A 1000 years

I was feeding T her dinner and she was taking her own sweet time to chew her mouthfuls. A tedious affair it is, sometimes, to feed her meals. Then I thought for the umpteenth time, that at five and a half, she ought to be eating her meals by herself. (She knows how to -- it's just that this is the way she likes it).

I put on my best serious voice and asked her "T, when are you going to start eating on your own? Tell me."

T skipped a beat and then said, "After a thousand years!" I looked at her, but she had a straight face except for that tongue in her cheek...or was it just food??
We grinned at each other. Then I said, "Do you know how long a thousand years is?".
She smiled happily as if she were expecting such a question and said "I know. I won't be there, I will be gone. By then, I will be up in the sky. And you also. Then we will porandhify (be born) in some other families..."

And then, I persevered, "When are you going to eat on your own, T?"

She promptly replied this time: "Tomorrow!" and gave her what I call beatific smile.

"

Profound!

Over the past year, I have been declared so by T: 'You're a bad mother!' and after receiving my unblinking glare, it has changed to: 'No, no, you are a GOOD mother...SWEEET mother!'. Other times, there have been a disgusted 'ARE you a mother?'

None of these I really care for, I have to say, coming from this little five year old. Now five and a half.

Today, she tells me, "Ma, don't think I am wrong..."
I said "Mmmm...?"
T continued in unwavering earnestness, "But I think you are the perfect mother for me!"

Way to go.

N or M?

T says 'Nusic' and 'Nusic Academies'
She also says 'Nobile'...

Never!

Never say never?
Well, T thinks 'never' is a stylish/effective 'NO!'.

T, will you come for a bath now?
T: Never!

T, will you clear up your things right now?
T: NEVER!

T, you have to stay at home and be good while Amma goes out for a meeting...
T: NEVER!

T, you have to wear this dress only today.
T: Never.

Am I ever going to explain the difference to her?
Never!

While I was sleeping

T was lounging next to me on the bed watching TV as I napped. After a while, I woke up to find that the TV had been switched off. I had no idea she knew how to do that! I asked her why she didn't ask me to switch off the TV for her, and she said:
"It's Ok ma, you were so sleepfull no, that's why.."
!!

Lipstick rules

Come December and it is music season. One evening, K, T and I were headed out for a concert -- we were to drop T off for a play date on the way.

I was seated in the backseat with T, and I soon took out my lipstick and gloss and began applying. T asked me, "What, why are you wearing lipstick and all now?' I stared at her unsure of an answer or suitable retort. She went on..."Why should you wear lipstick and all to these carnatic musics places?"

I have no idea what she thought of the 'Carnatic musics places' but clearly, they did not demand make-up in her 5 year old books!