Yet another rant building

Parked at a strange angle an innova was getting the tyre changed. That wouldn't have been a problem f the innova chose to get the flat tyre changed right behind my parking gate which means I can't get my car ouyr for 9 whole minutes which results in a 10 min delay to reach school.

When I realised the car belonged to my Building I asked the driver for the flat no. He said a familiar sounding number which I committed to memory but a few minutes later I realised this was the mil's flat number..

And the same evening a neighbour finds a car blocking his parking entrance and the cheek, he had left behind the key and watchman asked. Him to remove the car and park the car.

The normally chillled out neighbour walked away with the key swearing to not give the key.
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TV

So I have been a mean mamma and unplugged the set top box.

Day 1- cribbing, TV Dekhna hai

Day 2- start looking at other things to do. Basically I pad. Also try to repair the Tv, search for possible connection hitches while my heart beats hard. As I have lied to them that the Tv does not work. It is so much easier doing that than be kind or honest.

Day 5 - start looking Beyond the iPad, drawing, messing, eating, playing, talking to each other, sometimes ask for the tv, reading, play the keyboard

Day 7 - no visible signs of missing the tv. Extremely busy doing projects like collecting and pressing leaf to make a fossil, not bothered about iPad.

I guess it is a vicious cycle. Ou watch tv, then you get addicted to things moving without effort and then when someone forces you to switch off, you use something else to engage you like phone or iPad and basically you don't want to actively use your brains.

Agreed the kids watch tv at MiL's home but they have kind of accepted that the home tv is not working and I believe that the amount of tv they watch with the mil is more than sufficient.

I am hoping one day they will stop depending on tv at all for their entertainment,
Until now it served a purpose. It helped them learn beautiful Hindi and sometimes they make he dumb useless things that mr maker makes. But apart from them it was plain idiot box.

And honestly, it is easy for me because I don't watch tv. I do miss looking at the news but then if I watch, my kids will want to watch. There is a flip side but I am living with it.

Sent from my iPad

Reading

I always say God played a cruel joke on me. He raised my hopes in the beginning that my kids love books and suddenly last couple of years they didn't want to look at books at all.

Much to my despair.

However last week, I noticed that

Ojas was busy reading a newspaper.

And that he was forcing me to buy a goosebumps book.

He waited patiently till last Saturday and there we were at the shop and both kids spent a good 20 minutes selecting the titles they wanted plus asked for Geronimo books.

I really thought they wouldn't read but they were reading them. Largely it is psychological presence of the book but I can still hope now....

Let me not count my chickens too quickly though.

Sent from my iPad

Huff Post

So I was part of the panel discussion on Huff Post today. the topic was based on the recent article

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karin-kasdin/chinese-parents-sue-children-for-not-visiting-enough_b_2468526.html

Could you sue your child for not visiting you enough

I got an invite to be part of the session via a google plus link and there I was in the studio, joining the debate with people from US from their homes via webcam and on the phone. Since the iPad audio was not very great, I was also on the phone and while I could see myself on the TV screen, my voice was being taken from my phone.

I was the first one to go live and also the last speaker and Ihad a great time being live on air and I didnt look too bad too considering it was 3 am and I had hastily done my face and hair a few minutes ago and I was surprisingly alert at that hour in the morning. 

A first for me!

Catching up

With the news
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Jugaad

I asked Tejas to step on my heels to ease my foot ache. He tried, then stopped to put a pillow on my feet then stepped on the pillow.

Me- why did you do that?

Tejas- for better balance.

And he was right.
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Fear

Ojas, coming back from Cricket- Mamma, why are the lights off (in the living room)

Me- just like that, why do you ask

Ojas- Don't keep it off, I feel you have gone somewhere. 

Another flip for a working mother.

Role Play

The other day Ojas was having a tantrum. He wanted Tejas and their friend R to play cricket and allow him to bat throughout. And that is a tall order but in all fairness the two did not let him bat the previous day so he wanted a compensation.

While Ojas may be right, but one cannot force the others to comply so I did a demo for them.

I told R & Tejas to do a role play.

I prompted R on what he should speak and Tejas was allowed to freely react to what R was saying.

Act 1

R- Can we play cricket 

Tejas- Yes

R- (shouts)- I want to bat only.

Tejas- shouts back- No, i want to bat

Act 2

R- Can we play cricket 

Tejas- Yes

R- politely- Will you let me bat please

Tejas- Yes

This simple exercise helped Ojas understand how to deal with the situation. And also that only he is responsible for how the other person behaves with him.

On Rudeness

The last time I checked, I wasn't declared deaf. 

So why do people think it is alright to come and scream at my door step.

I spoke the last time about some characters that have crawled out of the woodwork in my building.

Today one such character comes screaming for me...is someone there at home.

Now this really alarmed me and I came rushing out notwithstanding my sprained foot.

She was agitatedly speaking on Tamil. As per my new year resolution, I plan to be zen and not get into arguments,  so I said slow down, and speak in English. 

She blames my children saying that I saw then hitting my child. So I asked my children what happened.

She says, don't ask them I saw them hit.

I apologised and she went her way and I tried digging further and the kids, all of them said my kids have not hit, they have just chased them because the girls were coming in their way disturbing their badminton play.

So I am not sure how that woman saw them hit her child, who actually doesn't hesitate to push and shove her own friends.

As per my new year resolution, I also plan not to take any crap from sundry people, so I called that lady's father. Tit for tat. She reported my children's so called bad behaviour to me so I report her bad behaviour to her father who is the resident in the building and a nice gentleman.

I apologised for my children's behaviour and at the same time expressed my feeling that it is not right for his daughter to come and scream at me because the children are quarrelling, I am not sure what prompts people to come and scream at other people's doorstep.

I am seriously appalled at their behaviour and wondering why the tolerance level in our building has suddenly become very low. 

And since when did mothers start interfering in children's fight. I don't remember my mom doing it and neither do I remember me doing it. My children were born and brought up in this building. They are the only ones whose milestones from birth has been celebrated here, and the residents have seen them grow up from birth. Some of them have seen them right in the hospital just a few days after their birth. In short, they have been woth us in our most precious moments. I would have a special place for children who have been born in front of my eyes.

Hey have been at an age where they were likely to be hurt by older children playing and I have taken care to steer them away and asked them to play in a corner. 

Today it is there day. They are old enough to lay right in the centre of the compound and I only wish that mothers who fear their children will be hurt may lease steer them slightly aside instead of blaming my children unnecessarily. 

On Afternoons

I love weekend afternoons.

When the home is quiet.

Breakfast, lunch etc are done with,

The maid has left after leaving the home spick and span. 

The kitchen is silent and clean.

The kids are playing at the cricket ground. On one hand I miss them and on the other hand the ears are confused everytime children shout while playing.

And I am free to read, blog, play the keyboard.

What is your favourite part if the day?