Growing Up

Nandy has been here for twenty-four months, and soon it will be twenty-five. Time is flying.. I must say. Nandy wants to do everything on her own now! She’s grown… But, aren’t there so many things she would not be able to do on her own? But, we always end up in a mess, deciding who should do what. This begins as her day begins – from brushing her teeth (which I am scared will end up in decay), taking her bath (only a part of herself would get wet), dressing up, and putting her shoes on (always ends up with wrong leg in wrong sandal). And then, she would scream, if we try putting it right. She would be struggling on herself, but no - we should not touch!

These days she says a lot of "sorry” and “please”. And, the rest is on us! We MUST say "its ok" for every sorry and “ok, done!” for every “please”. Else she keeps repeating sorry/please and it will get louder and louder and then her voice breaks and she cries. Sometimes she herself will mutter "its ok" after a sorry and move on. But for all that she does - do not expect a sorry, and how many ever times you say please, she would not be appeased. For instance, she hits me with the chappathi roller and I see stars, she would not mutter a sorry and moves on with another mischief. And she makes use of every occasion to hit, me especially! She enacts all that happens at the daycare, wherein she is the ma’am and we, all her toys and all house-hold articles are the kids at the daycare. So, she goes about rolling her eyes, and I am always the “baaaaaaaaaaaad girl”, wherein all others, even a litter box is a “good girl”. And then she comes to me threatening to hit me, accusing me of having hit Noddy, who’s my classmate! LIAR!

Her language also is evolving. From “kotato” and “kish” to “potato” and “fish” respectively, she has had her words right. As if this "huge" change is not enough to dishearten me, her silly dad is hell bent on teaching her to pronounce F which she says as “Th”. Fan is Than, Phone is Thon, 4 and 5 are Thore and Thy respectively. Another syllable she has not got right is “rr”. Its “polootta” for “paratha”, “load” for “road”. Until yesterday it was “b” for “m” also. Like “bichure” for “mixture”. Yesterday, I felt a little sad, when she came and asked for “mixture”, the right way, the first time! Should I be happy that she got it right? Or, should I miss those cute talks? Sigh! My lil girl is growing up.