Ready 1..2..3..Start..

Many years ago and for many years after that, a little girl stood in her playground on sports day looking intently at the audience, especially among the chief guest and other dignitaries, searching for any sight of her parents. In vain.
For they had come a little late and where seated 2 floors above.
She searched hard when the parents' game were getting conducted...again in vain as her Dad was too shy to join or else by the time they reached the ground, the game would have already started.
And many years ago, her sister participated in a toffee picking race. All the kids gathered their toffees and ran whereas she remained at her place and gathered more toffees.
And a few years ago, her brother would cry himself hoarse for getting medals and being the youngest in class would often be at a disadvantage in terms of sheer strength.

Cut to present. The same little girl who is now a Mom drops her kids off at school and returns home to come back back right when her kids' slot is ready to go.
They arrive late thus and cannot manage to get a seat in the front, but could stand right behind where her kids were seated in a group.
Mamma recalls how annoyed she would get at not being able to spot her parents and also remembers the entire point of carrying the camera- to be able to blog about it eloquently.
So she edges past the crowd, round the "arena" and braves being shoved away by the organisers and waits right at the finish line so that she would get a clear shot of the kids in action.
Ojas had to go as an airline pilot with a cap and a picture of an airline hanging round his neck.
So Internet savvy mamma googled for an airpane outline and created her own version of the same using the back page of a brochure and coloured the various parts painstakingly using bright marker pens.

For the cap she asked the Security for a (new) cap from the stores.

And Mamma thought she could pitch in for her sons to win. She stood at the finish line and waved a hi to Ojas so that he would run fast towards her. But he never looked to her side. His was a sprint and well, he didn't even bother to cross the finish line. Lingered on the other side of the ribbon until he was pulled out.

Tejas was the little Santa who had to put his toy into a satchel and run. Trust him to aim for the toy he liked and he changed tracks, Luckily that child was faster and Tejas escaped being out for foul and put his toy into the satchel and managed to be last.

Two horses to bet and both come last!

Proves that they are just like me- shine academically but poor performers in sports-exactly unlike their Dad.

And no, we did not participate in the parent's game- the Dad was not game for it.