Kannamma
Sweetheart, you are awesome! As you grow day by day you have a joy and happiness bubbling inside you that is phenomenal. You are always high on life! You always skip rather than walk. No matter how harsh a critic I am of something you do, your repartee is ‘No, I am good and I know it’
Sometimes it is even ‘ Don’t worry amma, As I try harder I get better!’. As of this moment you are not the best in anything. You are above average in most things. But you are the happiest and the most resilient.You never give up and failures and hardships are just another thing in life to frown a bit, make a joke out of and move on! ( wait, that sounds like a lot like your dad,come to think of it)
You are never bitter or jealous about not winning and despite being an only child, you are happy to share or even give away stuff!
You rush home from school, do your home work ( even as the neighbour’s kid A knocks on the door to come out and play, you say I will finish the work and then go amma, that way I enjoy more!) go cycling with her come back do some more work, read a book and go to sleep, with a smile on your face.
Some days, you play tennis or go for swimming in the morning, piano, a whole day of school, then badminton, cycling and you still have energy to do more!
When I wonder why despite all this you are not a swimming champ or a genius at school, your daddy says it is because you enjoy life and never focus on winning but on the process of swimming, cycling, reading etc. You do it for the sheer joy of it and not for today’s win.You do it at your own pace and do not like the pressure to win/ finish on time! not even God can make you do things faster than you want to! And you are not even naturally slow that you have to push yourselves too much to get to be faster. You just can't be bothered.
He is sure this will stand you in good stead throughout life. I used to be disturbed about the lack of drive and ambition but the sound of your wonderful, carefree, joyful laughter makes me want to bundle the same and treasure the magic even at the price of giving up all the medals and glory!
Past 2 years, in sports day you never won anything being the youngest and tiniest and having eyesight issues. The teacher said you could have the day off if you wanted, but you always said you enjoyed sports day as for you, it was not about winning ( of course, it almost never is)but about enjoying the day with your friends. And then you came home with two medals having carefully planned which events to play to your reduced height and strength. You amaze me..just the resilience after two years of disappointment and the grace with which you handled it.
The other day you won an award for your studies but did not tell us, as we were at your friend’s place and she did not get one and you did not want her to feel bad! ( She is 11 months older to you, bullies you and is always competing with you). You are able to tell her ‘ you are being unkind’ when she bullies you but have the grace not to brag when you win. Hats off da kuttima!
You still do not understand that you make mummy late to work almost every day as you will not hurry up and you still do not know how to handle your emotional mum ( The other day I said ‘you are going to send us both (papa and I) to an early grave’ and pat came your cheeky reaction ‘ Do I get the house? ’.
Everything is a joke or play. Being serious is not your forte.
You are a marvel and wonder. My sweet heart, I am extremely lucky to come home to you every day!
Pattumma, nee kalakuda!
Amma
Sweetheart, you are awesome! As you grow day by day you have a joy and happiness bubbling inside you that is phenomenal. You are always high on life! You always skip rather than walk. No matter how harsh a critic I am of something you do, your repartee is ‘No, I am good and I know it’
Sometimes it is even ‘ Don’t worry amma, As I try harder I get better!’. As of this moment you are not the best in anything. You are above average in most things. But you are the happiest and the most resilient.You never give up and failures and hardships are just another thing in life to frown a bit, make a joke out of and move on! ( wait, that sounds like a lot like your dad,come to think of it)
You are never bitter or jealous about not winning and despite being an only child, you are happy to share or even give away stuff!
You rush home from school, do your home work ( even as the neighbour’s kid A knocks on the door to come out and play, you say I will finish the work and then go amma, that way I enjoy more!) go cycling with her come back do some more work, read a book and go to sleep, with a smile on your face.
Some days, you play tennis or go for swimming in the morning, piano, a whole day of school, then badminton, cycling and you still have energy to do more!
When I wonder why despite all this you are not a swimming champ or a genius at school, your daddy says it is because you enjoy life and never focus on winning but on the process of swimming, cycling, reading etc. You do it for the sheer joy of it and not for today’s win.You do it at your own pace and do not like the pressure to win/ finish on time! not even God can make you do things faster than you want to! And you are not even naturally slow that you have to push yourselves too much to get to be faster. You just can't be bothered.
He is sure this will stand you in good stead throughout life. I used to be disturbed about the lack of drive and ambition but the sound of your wonderful, carefree, joyful laughter makes me want to bundle the same and treasure the magic even at the price of giving up all the medals and glory!
Past 2 years, in sports day you never won anything being the youngest and tiniest and having eyesight issues. The teacher said you could have the day off if you wanted, but you always said you enjoyed sports day as for you, it was not about winning ( of course, it almost never is)but about enjoying the day with your friends. And then you came home with two medals having carefully planned which events to play to your reduced height and strength. You amaze me..just the resilience after two years of disappointment and the grace with which you handled it.
The other day you won an award for your studies but did not tell us, as we were at your friend’s place and she did not get one and you did not want her to feel bad! ( She is 11 months older to you, bullies you and is always competing with you). You are able to tell her ‘ you are being unkind’ when she bullies you but have the grace not to brag when you win. Hats off da kuttima!
You still do not understand that you make mummy late to work almost every day as you will not hurry up and you still do not know how to handle your emotional mum ( The other day I said ‘you are going to send us both (papa and I) to an early grave’ and pat came your cheeky reaction ‘ Do I get the house? ’.
Everything is a joke or play. Being serious is not your forte.
You are a marvel and wonder. My sweet heart, I am extremely lucky to come home to you every day!
Pattumma, nee kalakuda!
Amma
