Sunday 17 January 2016

Confidence!

Confidence is not something you can teach... Especially not to a three year old... So it's kinda awesome when you're three year old displays some kick ass confidence... 

At a building Christmas party there was a guy wearing a Santa cap... Siddy saw siddy wants! He asked me first.. And because I didn't know the guy I told him I can't ask for it.. Then I said " but if you want it you ask him for it" he thinks for a second walks up to Santa guy and straight up asks him for his cap... 

Out of sheer shock at having a random three year old kid asking him and the fact that random three year old is super adorable and the fact that the super cute girl he was with was watching, he handed over his Santa cap to siddy with a big smile!

Another time, we were visiting a new doctor.. While waiting out he was looking at the three nurses sitting and making cotton balls out of a big cotton roll... 

Again siddy see siddy wants to do! Again he asked me to ask them first.. I told him the same thing.. " you want to do you go ask them" 

Thinks for a second (he always does) jumps off the bench and goes and says "can I help you?!" 

Those poor Kerala nurses didn't know how to react!!! They looked at me unsure., and I said in Hindi " he wants to make the cotton balls with you" 

They laughed all thru at this tiny kid rolling up the cotton balls!!! 

Then we go in and meet the doctor... The  check up is done and we are sitting listening to the doctor give us instructions... When siddy goes 

"what's your name?" He has a fascination for names.. 

The doctor equally surprised as the nurses.. Says "my name is Deepak"!!! 

And siddy smiled! And the doctor smiled and the mommy beamed with pride! 

I love that he can go upto anyone and talk to them.. Kids have no fear.. No thought of " what will they think?" No sense of rejection... Just bam... Out there.. 

I wonder what it would be like for us all to have that kind of no fear confidence...?!!! 











Friday 8 January 2016

Little Stories-2

Little story 1:

He over heard his teacher talking to her fiancĂ© and while hanging up she says " bye baby" 

So he goes to her and says " teacher you have a baby? Is it a small baby or a big baby?!!!!!!" 

Little story 2: 

Incredible memory! 

Over the year we have tried so many Peds for him.. There was this one we went to maybe twice... Long back that too... 

The other day we drove by the clinic, and this little thing points to the building and says

" Mumma when you were little I used to get you here to see the doctor na?" 

He's 2 and a half! (Correction he's almost three !) but where does he get this memory from? 

Little story 3:

So we were heading out one of these nights, and I told Aadi to book us a cab..

Till now siddy was following us around while we changed and I did my hair and make up and he wasn't saying anything... 

But as soon as he heard the words book and cab he went,

" Why are you booking a cab? Where are you going? " 

I love how he has started putting things together... Understanding them... It's amazing!! 











Monday 4 January 2016

School admissions..

School admissions are like the most stressful time in a parents life... 

Or so it's supposed to be. 

As soon as siddy turned 2 and a few months everyone we met only asked us what schools we were looking at... In the June of the year before he would join and I'm thinking... It's still a while... Forms don't even come out till dec. 

But you have to go visit all the schools before that and you have to sit in the lobby of and meet the office people of the school you are most keen to join at least 16 times before the forms come out and 25 times once the forms do come out..

Then it's a question of pulling out your contacts, your fathers contacts , your mothers contacts, your neighbours contacts, your neighbour's mothers contacts... Basically any kind of 'pull ' must be used..

Then you must have kept away a decent amount of dosh just to pay off all the above mentioned contacts.. Barring your own parents of course! And some dosh for the school people... Yes a bribe better known as admission fees... Which can range anywhere from 50000 to a few lakhs. 

So we started at step one.. I made a list of all the school in the vicinity.. Because no way on earth I'm making my kid travel at 3 more than he absolutely has to... 

A friend of mine and I went around checking out the schools.. We did three I think and then we sat down at a coffee shop and asked each other what we really wanted for our kids...

A good education system that focuses on the kids and let's them learn thru zero pressure, has good teachers and really cares for the kids... 

Currently he's doing his nursery at kangaroo kids and he's loving it.. The school environment is fantastic and he has learnt so much here I can't begin to tell you... So I wanted something similar...

I also feel, and I may be wrong, but I feel like all these big schools focus a lot more on the kids post the 5th grade... Because that's when they can train them for the 10th grade, the results of which determine  school standing. 

And because of this, I feel the younger batches get left behind with average attention. Decent, I'm not saying they don't care at all, but i feel the degree of attention is just much lesser than I would like. 

So we settled on Besant Montessori. 

We read a lot about the Montessori form of education, really liked it... Visited the school.. It's so old school and simple, the teachers remind me of my teachers, the infra structure is very basic but I think, also after speaking to a few people who's kids are there, their teaching systems are great and very up to date. 

They have big gardens for the kids to run around in, they go to the beach get sand in their feet... What more can a mum ask for really! 

So for all you wonderful people following up on siddy... Besant it is... From next June! 

He's a big boy now!