Steel Magnolias

Dear Peanut, 

You know that your mom is now an addicted blogger. You even give me suggestions on what to post next and that is more of your knock-knock jokes. You told me one day that you love your nickname Peanut so much that now you insist that I call you the same. 

My blogging friends Monika, GM and IHM tagged me to write five best things about motherhood. To tell you the truth I don’t know where to begin. Everything in the last 5 years have changed; the whole life. It is going to be a tough job to pen down 5 years of my life. Each of those moments is best things about motherhood. 

Can I reveal a secret? You taught me how to be a better daughter. Shh…..don’t tell your grandma. She still thinks that her daughter is the most sensitive and caring daughter in the world. I am most certain that if there ever is a competition between your grandma’s daughter and mine then you are winning hands down. 

And if there is a competition between whose daughter is a bigger drama queen then you are reaching there. One of the first few words you spoke was Shakur. Yes! You knew even then that your mom swore by Shahrukh Khan. Everyone teased me and asked if it was the effect of watching all those Shahrukh movies while carrying you. I used to dance to ‘Chaand ne Kuch kahaa….’  and you giggled. Is it any wonder that your grandma calls both of us biggest nautankis? 

Every weekend when you go out for biking with your Dad, without fail you bring me a bunch of wild Daisies. At a shop you select a Blue piggy bank because it is my favorite color which I had probably mentioned it just once. How do you notice such little details and remember it when you forget to drink your milk and finish those vegetables? 

The other day I was checking something on youtube and you ran to me and asked if I can put ‘Enthu paranjaalum nee entetalle vave’ song. Why? Because you remember your grandma singing it to you. When I put the song, you told me that you miss them and immediately wanted to meet your grandparents. Both of us cuggled and watched the song and called up grandma and made her sing the song. You even remember the song I used to sing to you as a baby. Hush little baby and Unni vavavo. Now you insist that I replace baby with big kid in Hush little.

You have noted down your grandparents, Mamu’s, Dadda’s and my birthdays in your little book and make hand made cards for all of us. Just recently you insisted that Dadda cut a cake and we decorate the room with balloons. Your Dadda very proudly cut the Pink cake you selected for him. Pink Cake!

The compassion you have at the tender age of 5 is something I have never seen. That day when I was enjoying my spicy Egg roast with occasional sounds of iss-iss, you ran to get me water. The tears which filled my eyes then were not because of the spice.

 Oh yeah! Another thing. Between Aishwarya Rai, Angelina Jolie and your mom; you think your mom is the prettiest, tallest and most gorgeous. Sigh! Only if your dad could think like you. Well! We anyways outnumber him in the house so our team wins. 

You love to flip through old albums and love seeing your baby pictures then come up with questions like how you crawled, how you giggled, how you ate your food. Mamma is attaching a picture of you at 4 months when your grand parents and we took you to your first tiny train ride at Royal Gorge and you kept your eyes closed the entire ride because you hated sun falling on your eyes.

These days I try to be a lot like grandma. Don’t I? I want you to grow up strong, independent and an achiever. Parents’ love is selfless and yet without your knowledge you repay us through all these gestures. You repay us every moment through your caring nature, love and your smile. These are the memories for us to cherish when you grow up and start a new life.

Never forget to be empathetic and considerate to others just like you are now. It takes you a long way and makes you a better human. And always raise voice against injustice and inequality. 

Remember that we will be always there for you when you need us. We will be there to share your happiness and sorrows. The thought that you have turned into a fine adult is going to make your Dad and me happy and assure us that some decisions we took in our life were worth it.

If someone asks me what is the best thing about motherhood I can just sum it all and say,

The best thing is having you in my life.  I am never really alone because you are always in my thoughts. The moment you were born, your Ma was born too.

With lots of love and ummas,

Your Ma

*Title is taken from an old movie that suggests women are as delicate as magnolias but as tough as steel.