Saturday, March 21, 2009

Snippets

Memories of conversations or snippets of conversations come randomly, when I'm going about my day. I replay them in my mind, laughing, smiling, cringing or just shaking my head at the memory. Here are some that have been clamoring for attention lately.

A few weeks ago D and I were cuddling in bed. I reached across, under her head, to hold my husband's hand. D grabbed it, pulled it right back to her and said, "That's my hand!" I said, "D, that's not your hand, that's Mama's hand." She replied, "I know it's your hand. But it's my hand." How do you quarrel with such logic?

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When C was about 5 and he had just returned from school we were talking about friends and family. He summed up the conversation this way, "Familyship is more important than friendship."

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D wanted some more yogurt. She had already eaten some of the plain variety, so I asked her if she wanted the strawberry yogurt. "No," she said, "pink yogurt is for boys."

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Just before she fell asleep one night D said, "Mama, I love you." Then, very slowly, "You. are. my. best. spider. ever."

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Two years after we got married, my husband and I still hadn't had children. We were too busy with school, work, play, trying to find our bearings in a new country. In the interim, we fielded numerous weekend calls from India, from parents and in-laws, all wanting to know if there was any "good news." One day, my dad finally scrunched up all his worry into a pithy one-liner and asked, "Is this a personal decision or is this by god's decree?" I had a good laugh before I assured him it was the former. They all had to wait a good six more years after that, which I must say they did admirably.

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When he was about 3 C and I were driving back home in the middle of the afternoon. I asked him a question and I did not hear a reply. So I turned back to look and he was nodding off. I didn't want him to fall asleep in the car, so I called out his name and asked him what he was doing. "I'm thinking, Mama. I'm thinking."

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I was putting D to sleep one day and she wanted a drink of water.

D: Mama, can I have some water?

Me: Sure, D (not moving to get her some, wanting to see what she would do).

A couple of seconds later.

D: Do we have water here?

Me: Yeah, we do.

D: Can I have some?

Me: Sure (still not moving).

A few more seconds.

D (exasperated): Right now!

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D finishes about three-quarters of a rather ripe banana and says she doesn't want anymore because "it's too banany."

24 comments:

Jinksy said...

Kid's comments rock...

Anonymous said...

Hee hee. Has D reached that stage kids sometimes go through whent hey don't like seeing their parents express affection for each other?

Sylvia K said...

I still have fun looking back and remembering things that my kids said when they were growing up. They still bring a smile or a giggle even after all these years. I loved reading about yours! Have a lovely weekend, Sujatha.

I love Lucy said...

Adorable!Your daughter sounds like a lot of fun! :)
Sujatha, nimma email id kodthira please?

Ugich Konitari said...

Sujatha, had a wonderful time reading this, and imagining your confident very strong-minded kids ! In the early eigthies when my son was an only child(then), my inlaws/his grandparents spent a lot of time with us , as he was a grandkid coming after many years. He had lots of verbal interaction with everyone, and so maybe one day chose to express his observations in writing. In pencil, on the wall, in the lobby leading to the front door. It said , "Aba = Aji + Papa + Aai + me"

Thats class 1 maths for you. :-)

Choxbox said...

now i'm smiling reading these snippets :)

Kavi said...

Adorable ! Phew ! those comments changed my mood ! I am feeling a lot lighter now !

Thanks for sharing !!

Feeling banany and 'pink is for boys' are stuff that make me think. And so is the best spider part !

:))

Lovely !

Unknown said...

;) Cute...

Anonymous said...

Ahh, but of course it is *her* hand!

As for waiting for 8 years for children, I am full of awe. I just crossed the 2 year mark and though I suspect I am older than you were then, I doubt I have the capacity to fight them off 6 years longer. How did you do it!

Anonymous said...

Suj
Thanx. This made my day:) Familyship...it should be up there with Truthiness. Priceless.
Sourin

Femin Susan said...

I heard your daughter's sound....
Keep up the great posts. Love, light and blessings to you and your family :)

Nino's Mum said...

:) fell off my chair when D said you were her best.spider.ever!
Loved her logic on pink yogurt and I'm a firm believer in C's "I'm thinking" posture: hell I did it all my life.
You made me smile so wide!

Anonymous said...

Aww how cute! Especially the spider comment and the pink is for boys comment. That one really made me laugh. :-)

Sujatha Bagal said...

@ Ra, D's always been possessive. Even more so than C! And she's very vocal about expressing her displeasure.

@ ILL, kaLisidheeni. Phew! Is that even right?

@ Ugich, that's a fantastic representation. It's amazing how your son's brain processed that! :)

@ GOTB, we told them, with a smile in our voices, that we were just too busy, that we couldn't afford any, etc. Plus, it helped that they were all so far away. :)

@ Jinksy, Kavi, NM, Chox, Siri, Sylvia, Sourin, Susan and Yuva, THANK YOU! :))

Sands said...

How cute! Kids are such a wonderful source of humor in our lives :)

Sandi McBride said...

Okay I'm with C, familyship is more important than friendship!
Congratulations on making David's Post of the Day list!
Sansi

Eleonora Baldwin said...

What a great idea to write these snippets of child wisdom and share them! Thank you. Now I must go and remember/jot down my 3 year-old's gems before they slip into oblivion. Ciao!

Cheffie-Mom said...

I believe kids are parents instructions booklets - full of wonderful wisdom. Great post. Congrats on the POTD award. I'd love for you to stop by my blog.

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Out of the mouths of babes...these are priceless! Congrats on your mention in David's POTD! It is very easy to see why you received such a warm recommend! I love your blog!

Anonymous said...

Kids are the wonder of our lives. Really enjoyed reading this post.

CJ xx

Louise said...

Great snippets! I can definitely understand banana overload! Over from Authorblog.

SS said...

She replied, "I know it's your hand. But it's my hand."

That is EXACTLY what I tell me husband :) See, great minds think alike.

O dear! This was awesome, S!

UL said...

I stumbled upon this blog from Musings , thought you were another Sujatha, and was pleasantly surprised...I am so glad I stopped to read some of your posts, really enjoyed these snippets, that's what makes life so interesting, isnt it? I loved how your daughter said " You are the best spider..." they come up with such genuine expressions...

also the picture of the bride and groom on the beach - will stay in my mind for a long time to come...
thank you for sharing...

Sujatha Bagal said...

UL, thank you for reading and commenting. And welcome to my blog!