I thought of writing this just to preserve some cherished memories of my kid. I have been a terrible father especially in the last 1 year (since the Covid 19 pandemic). I have not been able to give my son the time he deserves and demands. It is his benevolence that he still loves me. Another reason for maintaining this is to let him know, when he grows up, that he was like this. He should know that he means a world to us and makes our world beautiful every day.
To
tell the story of my little one, I would need to recreate his world. As more
and more of these delightful conversations lit this space, you would be slowly
introduced to some very special people who form his little world.
This
incident is just a couple of days old. It was getting late and I needed him to
go to bed. However, he was in no mood to leave the company of his friends
(Cartoon being played on my phone – This is a bad habit and we are working on
cutting his screen time). After a bit of cajoling when he did not relent, I did
what I knew best – snatched the phone and kept it in my pocket. This infuriated
him. There was a verbal exchange between us which culminated in him asking me
to leave the house. “You are the bad guy. Get out of my house”, he said. My
parental instinct immediately crept in. “Asking someone to get out is rude.
This needs an intervention”, I thought. So, while he continued ranting “Get out
of my house”, I retorted with “This is not your house. This is my house. I will
not go”. In reality it is neither his nor mine. We live in a rented
accommodation.
For
a moment, it seemed that he was taken aback by what I had said. I could sense
some confusion and doubt. But that was just (as I said) momentarily. As his
mind became clear, he came back stronger with his demand of me leaving “his
house”. I could not hold back my laughter and took him in my arms – “Ok. I will
go. Do you want me to go?” To which he replied innocently – “No Shanu. You Stay
with me.”
P.S: This episode would not have
been half as cute if my son were to be 5 or 6 years old instead of being just
three and half which he is now. And though, every story need not have a lesson
hidden in it, I would always try to look for some in these episodes (Just for
him) – So, son. Here goes the lesson for you – “Many a life’s battle would be
won or lost only because of your conviction to stay on your course. Just
remember this when you face any hurdle in your life journey – face with as much
conviction as you faced me a couple of days back.” And haan, do not ever try to
throw me out of my house.
Comments
You taught a good lesson indeed.