Making the Kids Proud

I guess it’s good for kids to be proud of their parents. It could help them to grow with good self-esteem.

Of course, making them proud of you is easier said than done, given the benchmarks they come home with, as I shared in an earlier post (http://rachnaunedited.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/2nd-graders-and-benchmarks/)

Since Nikki(7) was a tough nut to crack, I was banking on my younger one, Prithvi (3) for a while. But, after a series of failures, I am at the drawing board again.

Why did I fail?

Some basic and IMPORTANT ‘ticket-to-entry’ features were missing.

1. I don’t drive a water tanker or earth-moving-vehicle.
2. I am not seen with wrenches, and other exciting plumbing tools.
3. I don’t shave

So, I tried to establish a different, yet, heart-warming identity: caring-and-sweet-mother-who-sings-songs-at-bedtime. I thought I was doing well till he peered from under the blanket and told me it would make more sense if I wore better clothes.

’Tum ghar mein gande kapde kyon pehenti ho?’

He pointed at the TV and said ‘ Waise kapde pehno phir gaana gao’.

It was Shilpa Shetty dancing to some item number.

I was livid. I made a short and moving speech about how ‘BUSY AND HARDWORKING MAMMA IS AND HOW SHE STILL FINDS TIME TO <more matyr-like whines> ETC. But, not only was this conflicting with the identity I was trying to create, it was just lost on him. He turned on his side and slept off.

Sigh…he is not to blame, I guess. When I was expecting him, the doctor gave me a CD to listen to, which, apparently, had some soothing chants. But, I found that too boring, So, I would listen to a collection of item numbers, ‘Aika Daijebaa’ being the most prominent.

I am now back to Nikki now since I have spotted a new opportunity : she is in Grade III and homework has started getting complicated.

I help her with her homework, throwing in some flashes of brilliance now and then. I explain the digestive system, why rainforests are depleting, or help her compose a poem on spiders.

Now, what is key is that she should never find out that those amazing explanations are from google.com.
Last week, it was tap, modified and fibrous roots. And, I was ready and armed with my explanations. I waited for my opportunity.

At the dinner table, I asked her, trying to look casual,
‘So, any homework for this weekend?’

Her eyes lit up, ‘Mamma, do you know what are the different types of roots? I have to do a project. Will you help me?’

‘Ask pappa’, I drawled, trying to look absent-minded. This is an important part of the design: show the contrast – it makes you look even better.

‘Pappa, what are fibrous roots?’

Pappa almost choked on his modified root salad.