A year of Montessori and a befitting Gratitude List

This is a gratitude list that I write as Ira completes her first year of Montessori today. 

                                                    Final Day of Montessori Today

We are grateful for all the wonderful things listed and more. 

• Her excitement every morning to go to school. 
• Her sharing the activity that she did at school that day- pink cube tower,  number rods,  tracing alphabets or even her favorite world map and the latest, spindle box and movable alphabets. 
• The immense pretend play and all us being characters in her play along with bonnie, snowy and even checkers. 
• Telling us how a friend of hers got his tooth to school and showed them all. 
• The need to be independent- I will eat by myself and use a fork for the fruits, I will wear my own shoe and then crisscross her feet to ensure she has worn them right,  choosing the sweater or jacket for the day, carrying her own school bag. 
• Looking forward to being picked up by dadu from school when Mamma and Papa are busy at work. 
• Hugging trees on every Cubbon Park visit and climbing mini rocks when we visit an adventure camp site. 
• Discovering the joys of nimbu pani and tender coconut water and demanding for the same. 
• Inventing stories 'because' who needs a reason and telling us sternly, "guys, follow me"  as we walk the Bangalore footpaths
• We are grateful for those non stop questions,  those teary-eyed filled appeals,  those high pitched screams, those moments of terrible twos transitioning into three soon. 
• When you ask,  why do you want this? Be it a  fruit,  a sweet or some random toy and she says,  because I love it. She almost won the argument because who says no to love. 
• When she says her thank you and gives that hug on her own. Even when she refuses to acknowledge the person across,  won't say namaste or won't smile. 
• When she constantly sings, "I am hombe kaamyaab ek din..." Also, makes up her own song where you first jump on the bed, then go to Mary's lamb and then the farm and then climb the water spout. 
• When the contents of the snack and lunch box are discussed every morning and she has a glint in her eyes. Strawberries and Muskmelon ensure certain grins and so does Carrot paratha and egg. 
• When she furiously scribbles on a piece of paper and declares she has written,  IRA PRAMADH. When she colours within, beyond and across the boundaries in a colouring book. 
• When she makes a car and Papa and Mamma get turns being the green figurine because she is the blue one. 
• When she stays with one of us, while the other travels and does serious phone conversations enquiring our whereabouts. We are either in a cab,  the room or in Ben the plane. 
• A grateful plus moment of pride is when she wants you to read books every day because that is like the most normal thing to do. Books at breakfast,  Books in the evening and bedtime stories too. 
• When she comes home from school with scratches on her face or bruise on herself and tells us that she didn't push or hit in retaliation (much to the dismay of her Joi). While we want her to be strong and stand her ground, we are happy she doesn't hit back. (this can be a whole new post) 

We are grateful for all that she has felt,  experienced and learnt at her school and we are grateful to have been part of this journey with her. 

As we prepare for her long summer holidays and the summer camps she will attend, we smile and treasure all the memories this past year has given us. 

Looking forward to the next academic year already. 

Or like Ira says, "I will see you,  okay?!?!" 

Mamma, I am looking beautiful

The world is a beautiful place when you see it from the eyes of a 2 year 8 month old. Ira has recently learnt the word beautiful and uses it in multiple situations and for multiple people. She finds the characters in a book beautiful, she finds a tree in a park beautiful, she find mamma's institute beautiful, she also tells snowy (owl) that she is beautiful. This morning she wore a dress for school, looked at the mirror and told me, "Mamma, I am looking beautiful." The grin that accompanied the line was heart-melting. She then turned to me and said that am looking beautiful and gave her papa the same compliment. It didn't matter that I looked as draabe (shabby) as I could with unkempt hair and a rushed morning look. What mattered is that she has begun perceiving beauty in everything and everyone. Beauty that those little doe eyes see. The world is beautiful Period.
We have always told her how "Ira is brave, Ira is strong and Ira is smart (accompanied with gestures)." Guess, she has added the new line- "Ira is beautiful."

#Ira #Iraisms #microblogging #beautiful #childrenperceivebeautyineveryone #beautifulworld #positiveaffirmations

"I am so proud of you", the Ira way

Ira celebrated Christmas at school today and it marked the beginning of her holidays.  Ira's vocabulary seems to have exponentially increased in the last few weeks and so her capacity to express herself very articulately. She wants to wear her own shoes,  carry her own bag, eat by herself, make up her own Rhymes and tell stories her way. She says she didn't realise that she was wearing her shoes ulta and that she recognises the alphabet on the book. Realise,  recognise and because are hands down her favourite current words.
As the year closes, it feels overwhelming to see how much she has grown and humbling to realise how much we have as parents learnt. So,  I guess it is fitting that one of my December blogs share all that Prashant and I have learnt so far in this parenting journey. A journey that has just been awesome... and tiring, fabulous and apprehension filled,  full of gawky moments and some perfect strokes.

"I am so proud of you"- a line that Ira tells Prashant and me out of the blue these days,  followed or preceded by, "I love you". This I guess is what is music to the ears,  for Mamma and Papa for sure.

Parenting is a hard task,  nail-biting,  tear my hair moments happen to all of us.  Do not go by the happy pictures and posts that we parents blog and brag about.  Of course,  there are those gem of moments.  But to get there, is a long tedious,  tear filled,  mental screeches filled journey,  multiple camera shots journey.  No complaints whatsoever.  What am trying to say is, like everything in life,  we have to work hard to make parenting work. We have to learn to let go,  we have to learn to let a toddler have their way,  we have to learn that a glass of spilt milk,  a tornado driven toys all over living room is a part of the deal. We have to listen to every little thing they say the way we would listen to another adult,  we have to patiently answer their same question a zillion times because that is what little inquisitive minds do.  There are times when you both are filled with pride that 'we created this'  and there are also times when you think,  'did we really create this!'.

Some things that Prashant and I learnt that has made parenting an even more kickass  a journey for us.
1. Being clingy is their birthright and it can happen anytime anywhere.
2. They are the most well behaved in the most unexpected circumstances.
3. They are riotous in the calmest of situations.
4. Some days their favourite food is all you need to make them happy.  For Ira,  this could be dates,  papaya or chicken leg :)
5. Some days you just have no clue what will work. And trust us,  it is fine.
6. They can read their favourite story book over and over again.  Mind you,  your intonations have to still be animated at the 20th reading in a single day and you dare not skip that para. Her current absolute favourite is,  "Are you my mother?" by P. D. Eastman.
7. They may want to drink milk with spoon,  eat idli with fork,  n pasta with hand.  Let them experience food the way they want to.
8. Mess is good.  Don't be paranoid (note to self). Playing with stick and stones,  throwing mud and cleaning the park is a good thing.
9. Falls,  hurts,  bruises are good and essential for growth.  And of course,  boroline is Ira's best friend,  along with the adage,  'no big deal'.
10. Teach them to love and appreciate people but there will be moments when your most huggy child will not want to hug the visiting friend.  Let them be.  Personal space is an early learning and an essential one at that.
11. You have to feed Bonny,  Leo,  Sophie, Panda and Snowy and shower them too with goodnight kisses,  when your little one takes them to bed with her.
12. Listen careful to their imaginative stories,  play with them,  drink that make believe buttermilk and eat that carrot sabji.  Enjoy that conversation when she asks Bonny to sit with legs crossed and use the activity mat to play.
13. They will be as brave,  as happy,  as adventurous,  as loving as we are.  They reflect what they see. They are our best mirror images.
14. Positive affirmations work wonders.  They need to believe they are smart,  strong,  brave,  loving.  They need to hear it from us.  Be strict,  be stern when needed but those little hands need that comforting hold.  They need to know we are proud of them for what they are.  And this pride is not just quantifiable through achievements or milestones,  this pride is that parental emotion that is ours to know,  experience and express.
15. Discover the child in you through your little one. Preserve that smile,  that memory. These will all be stories to be told and retold.

If you have actually read this long piece,  know for sure that,  "I am so proud of you", the Ira way.

#Iraisms #Ira #Positiveaffirmations #Proudofyou #parenting #learning