A few days back, i came across the draft of a story i started to write on my desktop many many months ago. A couple of paragraphs were written and when i started reading it, even though it was a story i had written myself, i liked it so much that i became eager to know what would happen next. For the life of me i don't remember! it started out so well and i can recollect thinking abt putting it into words, but i did not do it and now i have lost a story. With a jolt i realised this is what is happening in my life too... Aditi has turned 3 and Nidhi is growing up so fast too, everyday is an interesting day(to put it mildly), but unless it's recorded here in this blog things r just slipping thru my mind.
Okay the excuse first - When Nidhi won the 'Student of the Month' Award in 2012 (the very next month after she first started school in America), i had put it up on facebook. the very next day she fractured her wrist. Everyone in my family seemed to believe it was my putting it up on fb that brought the 'evil eye' on my daughter. i defended myself tooth and nail saying it was not the first time i was writing abt her achievements, but being a Mom after all i did not want to do anything that would harm my daughter. Slowly i stopped putting up things on fb. No more pics, no more announcing anything when she wins something. Less than 1% of our what was happening in our lives found its way to fb. The same thing has happened on this blog, as if writing abt it would somehow jinx it. This is very much against what i believe in - that family and friends are well-wishers and there is no such thing as 'buri nazar'. More importantly i am missing out on all the things that Nidhi and Aditi would like to read abt themselves when they grow up and come to my blog.
So, here goes... yet another attempt to revive blogging...
First thing, Nidhi did win 'Student of the Month' in the next year 2013 too. No one knows it except for us and the grandparents. when her teacher called us the second time to tell us Nidhi has been selected, i blightly assumed they must be awarding every child every year and that maybe its an award given in rotation to keep all children and parents happy. Then i asked around and found that i was most certainly wrong. There r many kids who have never received it even once in all their five years of elementary school. also, some have received it even twice in the same year. so it's all abt achievement. needless to say, i was extremely happy for Nidhi for doing her best in everything.
Second thing is Nidhi is growing into a very good dancer. She is flourishing at a rapid pace and loves her dance class. All this might change in the few months coz there is a very real possibility we might move and she will have to start afresh at yet another dance school. But for today, i thank God for being kind enough to give her such a good teacher and such an enriching atmosphere in the dance school that brings out the best in Nidhi.
The most important thing abt Nidhi... i notice i have used the word best twice in the above paragraphs - that's a good thing bcoz its not a word we use many times in real life. Having been a topper all thru my life, i vowed i would never tell my child to come first in class ever in her life. i would never place such an expectation on her shoulder and it was all upto to her what she wants to do and how well she wants to do it. i want her to feel happy for her own achievements and not do something bcoz her parents wanted her to do it or to make them (us) happy. So, when she does well in something i feel all the more proud bcoz she is doing well on her own and not due to any pressure that we have put on her. Also, she derives a lot of pleasure in whatever she does and that is what is most important to me.
Since last month she surprised us all by taking an interest in drawing and has been turning up master piece after master-piece during summer vacation. The bigger surprise was Mr.Appa who has never been known to draw even a straight line all thru his life - he started a fun drawing time with his daughters where all three if them spread out their drawing-ware in the living room, pore over their papers for the best part of an hour and come up with some stunners. i let them in peace coz i am usually cooking dinner in peace myself(rare opportunities - not to cook, but to cook in peace). then i am invited to be the gracious judge and pick out the best. invariably i pick out Santosh coz he turns out to be the best, followed closely by Nidhi. The best pieces go onto my refridgerator-door and now there is almost no place left.
As for Student of the Month this year, for the very first assembly, Nidhi was invited to volunteer in giving out the certificates (The principal announces the award, shakes the hand of the awardee and the child collects the award from the volunteers). She was so excited to be be doing this job with her classmate. Seeing her excitement we went to the assembly to see what exactly she is doing. i must say she and her friend did such a good job (with no confusion abt handing over which certificate to which child, etc). After the assembly one of the other Moms even told me that Nidhi did so well and looked so confident on stage :-) Small joys in life...
Ok, that was a reasonably good attempt to 'restart'.... Now let's c if i can keep up regularly.
Okay the excuse first - When Nidhi won the 'Student of the Month' Award in 2012 (the very next month after she first started school in America), i had put it up on facebook. the very next day she fractured her wrist. Everyone in my family seemed to believe it was my putting it up on fb that brought the 'evil eye' on my daughter. i defended myself tooth and nail saying it was not the first time i was writing abt her achievements, but being a Mom after all i did not want to do anything that would harm my daughter. Slowly i stopped putting up things on fb. No more pics, no more announcing anything when she wins something. Less than 1% of our what was happening in our lives found its way to fb. The same thing has happened on this blog, as if writing abt it would somehow jinx it. This is very much against what i believe in - that family and friends are well-wishers and there is no such thing as 'buri nazar'. More importantly i am missing out on all the things that Nidhi and Aditi would like to read abt themselves when they grow up and come to my blog.
So, here goes... yet another attempt to revive blogging...
First thing, Nidhi did win 'Student of the Month' in the next year 2013 too. No one knows it except for us and the grandparents. when her teacher called us the second time to tell us Nidhi has been selected, i blightly assumed they must be awarding every child every year and that maybe its an award given in rotation to keep all children and parents happy. Then i asked around and found that i was most certainly wrong. There r many kids who have never received it even once in all their five years of elementary school. also, some have received it even twice in the same year. so it's all abt achievement. needless to say, i was extremely happy for Nidhi for doing her best in everything.
Second thing is Nidhi is growing into a very good dancer. She is flourishing at a rapid pace and loves her dance class. All this might change in the few months coz there is a very real possibility we might move and she will have to start afresh at yet another dance school. But for today, i thank God for being kind enough to give her such a good teacher and such an enriching atmosphere in the dance school that brings out the best in Nidhi.
The most important thing abt Nidhi... i notice i have used the word best twice in the above paragraphs - that's a good thing bcoz its not a word we use many times in real life. Having been a topper all thru my life, i vowed i would never tell my child to come first in class ever in her life. i would never place such an expectation on her shoulder and it was all upto to her what she wants to do and how well she wants to do it. i want her to feel happy for her own achievements and not do something bcoz her parents wanted her to do it or to make them (us) happy. So, when she does well in something i feel all the more proud bcoz she is doing well on her own and not due to any pressure that we have put on her. Also, she derives a lot of pleasure in whatever she does and that is what is most important to me.
Since last month she surprised us all by taking an interest in drawing and has been turning up master piece after master-piece during summer vacation. The bigger surprise was Mr.Appa who has never been known to draw even a straight line all thru his life - he started a fun drawing time with his daughters where all three if them spread out their drawing-ware in the living room, pore over their papers for the best part of an hour and come up with some stunners. i let them in peace coz i am usually cooking dinner in peace myself(rare opportunities - not to cook, but to cook in peace). then i am invited to be the gracious judge and pick out the best. invariably i pick out Santosh coz he turns out to be the best, followed closely by Nidhi. The best pieces go onto my refridgerator-door and now there is almost no place left.
As for Student of the Month this year, for the very first assembly, Nidhi was invited to volunteer in giving out the certificates (The principal announces the award, shakes the hand of the awardee and the child collects the award from the volunteers). She was so excited to be be doing this job with her classmate. Seeing her excitement we went to the assembly to see what exactly she is doing. i must say she and her friend did such a good job (with no confusion abt handing over which certificate to which child, etc). After the assembly one of the other Moms even told me that Nidhi did so well and looked so confident on stage :-) Small joys in life...
Ok, that was a reasonably good attempt to 'restart'.... Now let's c if i can keep up regularly.
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