Childhood Memories Are Made of These

 

For most of us, childhood memories are precious treasures revisited occasionally. My childhood memories are generally happy memories, and I’d love to share some of them with you

 

Family

Mom and Dad were a hard-working, God-fearing couple who inculcated values and principles in my brother and me that have held us in good stead today. There was playtime and study time, and my parents were extremely strict about keeping boundaries between the two. Playtime was always after homework.  Mom supervised homework, while dad had the pleasure of signing the good report cards. My brother and I  had our fair share of sibling quarrels, but I remember how excited I was when he came into the world. Family also included, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who lived in far-off places and with whom we regularly kept in touch through letters, cards and postcards. We visited them during vacations and I cherish those memories.

 

School

I attended a Convent school and experienced both happy and not–so–happy memories.  My kindergarten days were fraught with fear and anxiety (I still don’t know why)As I sat in the cycle rickshaw, I shed copious tears to school, every day, until the rickshaw puller complained to Dad about my crying and I received a spanking of my life. I never cried to go to school again. Among the teachers, I had my set of favourites. English was my favourite subject. Math and Science were certainly rocket Science to me and I struggled with them, especially in high school. Middle school saw my 4 friends and me eating out of lunch boxes ‘catching place’ and sharing meals that our moms had so lovingly prepared. We sat under shady trees, shielding ourselves and our food from hovering kites, who sometimes swooped down and snatched food.

The swings the slides, the playground and boisterous kabbadi games are sweet memories for me. Occasionally we were treated to movies and the regular curtains in the hall were temporarily replaced with black curtains. The black curtains made our day because movies meant no lessons.

The little bookstore in a corner sold stationery, including the prized white and green scented eraser. The tailor master sat in another corner measuring us for uniforms.

 These memories are revived on the school WhatsApp group ever so often and then we are on a roll. They do a good job of breaking the humdrum of adult life.

 

Friends

I had a small circle of friends in school and together we created some awesome memories. We attended each other’s birthday parties, ate from each other’s lunch boxes and generally enjoyed being in each other’s company.  I’m still in touch with a few and it feels wonderful. Then there were friends from the neighbourhood and we created some equally fantastic memories.

 

Playtime

 I was no sportswoman but just loved a good game of hide and seek, Kho –Kho, Seven Tiles, Catching Cook, Kicking the can, Hop Scotch (also called “Langdi”).  

Indoor games included the all-time favourite, snakes and Ladders, Ludo and Name, Place, Animal, and Thing

The Little Dirt Road

 We lived in a rented cottage. The cottage had two main doors: the front door opened to a big compound owned by the landlord who also lived on the premises.

The back door opened to a small muddy and bumpy lane. On either side of the lane was a row of cottages, occupied by other families. This lane was a playground for the children including my brother and me.  We played badminton and cricket, rode cycles up and down the lane, and played with stray puppies that wandered into the lane.

During the winter, folk from the cottages sat in the lane, sipping hot tea, and engaging in lively banter. During the hot summers, we sat outside enjoying the cool evening breeze.  Since we didn’t have a geyser, Mom heated bath water on the Chula which was placed outside our home in the lane.

Neighbours were on good terms with each other, helping one another in times of need. I particularly remember the gusto with which Holi was played as the folk from the cottages poured out into the lane throwing colour and spraying one another with coloured water.

All good times come to an end. Children grew up and moved out. Families moved out and new families moved in.  The memories of those happy days in the lane are something I will always cherish.

Random Memories

·       Writing letters to Santa Claus.

·       Dad gave me a ride to the local library that was housed in a shed.

·       Eating pickles and sweets to my heart’s content

·       Going with Dad for my first Hindi movie: Haathi Mera Sathi.

I’m grateful I had a happy childhood, and echoing Michael Jackson's song “We Are the World,”…I would say, Let’s make it a better place for our children. Let's help our children experience childhood as it should be. 

 

This post is part of the BlogchatterBlogHop weekly challenge. 

Image credit : Pixabay. 

 

 

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Parenting: Learning by Degrees

 Parenting: Learning by Degrees

 

My parents were an ordinary, hardworking, God - fearing couple who taught us well. They inculcated in my brother and me values and morals that I hold in good stead  and strive to do the same with my offspring.  Dad was a big, burly good natured man with a penchant for song and the stricter of the two. Mum taught in the local convent school finding a balance between work and home. Disagreements notwithstanding, they created a haven of love, laughter, happy days and good times. 

You know naught about parenting when you receive the gift of parenthood and parenting is a humongous responsibility. No book will teach you how to be a parent. Amid trials, errors and a lot of well meaning advice from folk around, you strive to raise your child to be a well balanced individual. Parenting is a rollercoaster ride. There are happy and sad moments. You experience days of intense joy and pride and days when you just want to slink away into some dark corner.

The toddlers grow up all too soon – words, actions, moments and milestones get tucked away into a treasure trove of memories to be relived time and again. Adolescence is a difficult time for both parent and child.  The adolescent is one day an adult looking to carve a niche for him and despite the pangs, you will have to let go… As a parent you are constantly faced with new challenges. Don’t let the challenges break you, let them make you.

 A worrisome trend among children today, are ‘soft addictions’, brought to light by author and life coach Judith Wright.

Children are increasingly becoming slaves to habits that rob them of meaningful activities and pursuits. Soft addictions include excessive screen time, an unhealthy indulgence in junk food and shopping,etc.   Parents must monitor the activities of their children, and inculcate in them responsible behavior. Parents need to project a positive image and emit positive vibes for children to emulate.

To quote Ms. Wright, “Parents can have perspective and need to take responsibility for helping their children manage these soft addictions. Too often, they model behaviors that encourage kids to fall into soft addiction routines instead. For instance, many parents come home from work and spend the majority of post-dinner hours slumped in front of the television. Other parents model gossiping behaviors, spending hours each week e-mailing and phoning friends.”

“I’m not suggesting that parents or their children go “cold turkey” and quit all soft addictions. As human beings, most of us have some soft addictions. We can still live a full, meaningful existence if these activities are part of our lives. But they need to be a minor rather than a major part”. Rediscovering the fine art of conversation, visiting friends, going for walks in the woods, expressing their feelings to people they care about, listening to inspirational music—all this can add meaning.”

“Just as important, it can provide a healthy behavioral model for their children. Consciously or not, kids are great imitators, and softly-addicted parents tend to produce softly-addicted kids. It’s very difficult for parents to tell kids to stop watching so much television when they’re guilty of the same type of mindless, habitual behaviors. Parents will find, however, that if they learn to spend their time more meaningfully, not only will their lives be more satisfying but they’ll help create more satisfying lives for their children.”

In a nut shell when you are a parent:

·       You love unconditionally

·       You experience some life changing experiences

·       You are your child’s first teacher

·       You learn that you  are not infallible

·       You will experience disappointments and heartbreaks yet you must remain strong

·       You give your children roots and then wings.