Originally published on 16th April 2021 at rahulshanu.blogspot.com
I thought of writing this just to preserve some cherished memories of my kid. I have been a terrible father especially in the last 1 year (since the Covid 19 pandemic). I have not been able to give my son the time he deserves and demands. It is his benevolence that he still loves me. Another reason for maintaining this is to let him know, when he grows up, that he was like this. He should know that he means a world to us and makes our world beautiful every day.
To tell the story of my little one, I would need to recreate his world. As more and more of these delightful conversations lit this space, you would be slowly introduced to some very special people who form his little world.
This incident is just a couple of days old. It was getting late and I needed him to go to bed. However, he was in no mood to leave the company of his friends (Cartoon being played on my phone – This is a bad habit and we are working on cutting his screen time). After a bit of cajoling when he did not relent, I did what I knew best – snatched the phone and kept it in my pocket. This infuriated him. There was a verbal exchange between us which culminated in him asking me to leave the house. “You are the bad guy. Get out of my house”, he said. My parental instinct immediately crept in. “Asking someone to get out is rude. This needs an intervention”, I thought. So, while he continued ranting “Get out of my house”, I retorted with “This is not your house. This is my house. I will not go”. In reality it is neither his nor mine. We live in a rented accommodation.
For a moment, it seemed that he was taken aback by what I had said. I could sense some confusion and doubt. But that was just (as I said) momentarily. As his mind became clear, he came back stronger with his demand of me leaving “his house”. I could not hold back my laughter and took him in my arms – “Ok. I will go. Do you want me to go?” To which he replied innocently – “No Shanu. You Stay with me.”
P.S: This episode would not have been half as cute if my son were to be 5 or 6 years old instead of being just three and half which he is now. And though, every story need not have a lesson hidden in it, I would always try to look for some in these episodes (Just for him) – So, son. Here goes the lesson for you – “Many a life’s battle would be won or lost only because of your conviction to stay on your course. Just remember this when you face any hurdle in your life journey – face with as much conviction as you faced me a couple of days back.” And haan, do not ever try to throw me out of my house.
Image Credit: <a href=”https://www.flaticon.com/free-icons/exit” title=”exit icons”>Exit icons created by smalllikeart – Flaticon</a>
Pingback: Resurgence