This Saturday felt really complete as far as my role definition as a mom goes. Many times I pile on guilt on myself, because of the nature of interactions I have with my kids. There are those mundane days, when I can rename myself "Chabi". Chabi is Hindi for key and the role of the key is to unlock doors of course. The other Chabi, which is the correct context in this case, is for those wind-up toys which you need to keep turning, else they stop after sometime. So there are those days of my life, when I am the wind-up key for my kids - "S, wash you face and change clothes. M, keep your dolls back in place. S, do your homework. S, practice guitar..".. you get the idea. Only Chabi, nothing else.
Then there are days when I get some free time from work, when I explore various projects and ideas on the web, or in books, that I would like to do with the kids. If anything I am a big dreamer, dreaming up fun projects, dreaming about which give me a high just from thinking about executing them. Of course, executing them is another matter altogether, and "life" as in mundane, regular chores and tasks catches on. I become "Chabi" again.
And then there are those rare days when you accomplish so many fun things to do with the kids, that the kids actually say "wow, that was a real fun day I had Mom". It feels strange and almost ethereal sometimes to go through such a day. Wish I could carve out more of those "special fun days".
This Saturday was one of them. I made pancakes from scratch, made ice lollies, cut up a pant pattern for M and P and I went biking with them. Simple family fun. Sigh! But such times are a rarity for working moms. And most weekends get bogged down with errands and shopping or just recovering from the working week. I then realize that I have to really try hard to carve out such moments which maybe the kids will remember, who knows, but I certainly will.
One of the by-products of this Saturday was that M started riding a bike by herself. She has always ridden them with side-wheels. Her cycle happens to be on the larger side, its a size 18 or 20, which we recently bought - good till she turns 7 years old or so. Before the ride, there was the usual huge tantrum about not wanting to ride the bike, about re-attaching the side wheels, you name it. We soothed and shushed, begged and scolded, but to no avail. All her (few, if any) rides before had been with side-wheels before. Finally we turned into mute parents locking the door and wheeling out her bike, which signaled to her that no amount of cajoling or crying was going to work on us. She stopped crying, resorting now to "You won't let me fall? ....What if I fall and get hurt?..... I know I will get hurt....." (She talks non-stop at normal times, and goes on even more when she is stressed). We again re-assured her tons, and finally we set off, with P holding her bike and walking and S and I riding nearby and encouraging her on.
She didn't realize it, but P kept leaving his hands on her back seat handle. And that did it. Successful! Well for the time being anyways.
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