Aman was hunched over the newspaper with his morning cuppa at one side on the coffee table in front of him. He gave a yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwnnnn and mumbled to no one in particular, “there positively must be a better way to start the day than to wake up!!” “Oh sure there is”, said Mira as she splashed a handful of cold water into his eyes. “To be woken up” ,she cried!!!!!! “What did you do that for????”, asked Aman incredulously, when a cry from the neighbouring room truncated their conversation. It was Sia, the apple of their eye. She had just woken up and both husband and wife half ran into the room, vying to be the first to greet her, hold her in their arms, give her a morning kiss and take full advantage of her playful morning mood. She was smiling at them from her crib; barely two years of age and talkative as a parakeet, with pink cheeks and black hair that curled at the edges, she might have been a doll!
“Gumoning, momma”, she said cheerily, “ And papa”. “Did you sleep well, sweetheart???” asked Mira as she lifted the little bundle into her arms, holding her by her side with her two legs sitting on her waist. “Ma, doggy biting shia”, she said describing her dream, “but shia run away, faaaaaaaaaaaaaast to pa.” “Pa beat doggy”, she continued “and then you know, doggy become kitty and look to me and say meeeeeeeeeooooow”, she cried contorting her baby face and making the sound of a cat! Mira and Aman smiled. This was the case everyday; Sia at her talkative best early in the morning, bluffing away to gloryland and giving her parents their daily dose of the pure bliss of childish innocence.
It was a Sunday and Mira quickly took to tending to her baby, giving her a bath and clothing her up. Very soon there pervaded a smell of Johnson and Johnson’s baby products all over the house and Sia was ready to play. Aman had just begun playing with Sia when he received a call on his mobile. There was some matter that made him very angry and he spoke quite animatedly. Sia very much enjoyed looking at her dad turning red with rage and then suddenly, without warning, he yelled, “How dare you talk to me like that?? I am not your servant alright??” Saying so he hung up and switched off his cell phone to ward off further disturbance that would ruin his weekend. One look at the bubbly countenance of his little ball of sunshine, and he found all his anger melting away. “Let’s play, baby”, he said. And they played with her dolls, her bricks and her ball.
Soon, it was time for lunch. Mira carried Sia away and seated her on her high chair with a plate of mashed vegetables and a bowl of soup in front of her. Now eating had always been a problem with Sia. She was extremely choosy about her food and vegetables figured nowhere in her list of likes. “Shia not like thish. Shia wanting chock-let”!!! Mira sighed and tried to wash some soup down the girl’s stomach but try as she might, she could not get her to touch the vegetables. Finally, “You must eat your veggies NOW”, said Mira sternly, out of pure exasperation to which Sia replied with pride brimming on her cheeks and filling her round, bulging eyes, “How dare you talk to me like that? I am not your servant alright!!” It was all Mira could do to stay rooted to the spot without fainting! She gave Aman a threatening look that said “watch your words, man”!!!! After that, with the slightest coaxing, she was able to make Sia finish off the veggies on her plate. It was almost as if she had purposely avoided eating the stuff to be able to put to use, her new found knowledge of some words that made her sound like big girl!!!!
That afternoon when Sia was taking her nap and Aman and Mira were lounging on the sofa, they had a quick discussion as to how the girl was picking up words that she must absolutely not, that she will be starting school in a few weeks and if they’re not careful, she might give the impression of being a spoilt brat which she was really not. They resolved to be more careful while talking within her earshot.
But the same evening, Mira got into a fierce argument with the vegetable vendor at the end of which, she slammed the door in his face and said loudly, “Useless fellow”!!!! And then suddenly realizing what she had done, she scoured the room for any sight of Sia only to find her lost in the midst of her dolls and teddies. She heaved a sigh of relief to think that her daughter had not overheard her, but oh…how wrong she was, as she was soon to find out! She gave her husband a reassuring smile and got back on the couch with him to watch a movie.
“Gumoning, momma”, she said cheerily, “ And papa”. “Did you sleep well, sweetheart???” asked Mira as she lifted the little bundle into her arms, holding her by her side with her two legs sitting on her waist. “Ma, doggy biting shia”, she said describing her dream, “but shia run away, faaaaaaaaaaaaaast to pa.” “Pa beat doggy”, she continued “and then you know, doggy become kitty and look to me and say meeeeeeeeeooooow”, she cried contorting her baby face and making the sound of a cat! Mira and Aman smiled. This was the case everyday; Sia at her talkative best early in the morning, bluffing away to gloryland and giving her parents their daily dose of the pure bliss of childish innocence.
It was a Sunday and Mira quickly took to tending to her baby, giving her a bath and clothing her up. Very soon there pervaded a smell of Johnson and Johnson’s baby products all over the house and Sia was ready to play. Aman had just begun playing with Sia when he received a call on his mobile. There was some matter that made him very angry and he spoke quite animatedly. Sia very much enjoyed looking at her dad turning red with rage and then suddenly, without warning, he yelled, “How dare you talk to me like that?? I am not your servant alright??” Saying so he hung up and switched off his cell phone to ward off further disturbance that would ruin his weekend. One look at the bubbly countenance of his little ball of sunshine, and he found all his anger melting away. “Let’s play, baby”, he said. And they played with her dolls, her bricks and her ball.
Soon, it was time for lunch. Mira carried Sia away and seated her on her high chair with a plate of mashed vegetables and a bowl of soup in front of her. Now eating had always been a problem with Sia. She was extremely choosy about her food and vegetables figured nowhere in her list of likes. “Shia not like thish. Shia wanting chock-let”!!! Mira sighed and tried to wash some soup down the girl’s stomach but try as she might, she could not get her to touch the vegetables. Finally, “You must eat your veggies NOW”, said Mira sternly, out of pure exasperation to which Sia replied with pride brimming on her cheeks and filling her round, bulging eyes, “How dare you talk to me like that? I am not your servant alright!!” It was all Mira could do to stay rooted to the spot without fainting! She gave Aman a threatening look that said “watch your words, man”!!!! After that, with the slightest coaxing, she was able to make Sia finish off the veggies on her plate. It was almost as if she had purposely avoided eating the stuff to be able to put to use, her new found knowledge of some words that made her sound like big girl!!!!
That afternoon when Sia was taking her nap and Aman and Mira were lounging on the sofa, they had a quick discussion as to how the girl was picking up words that she must absolutely not, that she will be starting school in a few weeks and if they’re not careful, she might give the impression of being a spoilt brat which she was really not. They resolved to be more careful while talking within her earshot.
But the same evening, Mira got into a fierce argument with the vegetable vendor at the end of which, she slammed the door in his face and said loudly, “Useless fellow”!!!! And then suddenly realizing what she had done, she scoured the room for any sight of Sia only to find her lost in the midst of her dolls and teddies. She heaved a sigh of relief to think that her daughter had not overheard her, but oh…how wrong she was, as she was soon to find out! She gave her husband a reassuring smile and got back on the couch with him to watch a movie.
Now you may be in a position to control your tongue but how can you control what comes on TV or what other people say. The shrewd guy in the film that they were watching suddenly abused very loudly which made the couple frantically reach for the remote and change the channel. At dinnertime, Sia casually asked her parents amidst mouthfuls of mashed rice, “what is a b******??” Mira dropped her fork and brought her hand to her mouth and Aman coughed in his plate. Mira gained composure faster than Aman and told Sia, “You will NEVER use that word again, okay darling??” “NEVER”, she said again with an emphasis she didn’t know her voice could lay. And Aman gave her such a glare down that the poor creature got frightened and started sobbing. They comforted the little one and her meal that night went into the bin!
That was one day. But day after day, Sia was proving to be extremely quick at picking up words and phrases that made Aman and Mira strongly suspect their upbringing and they had many discussions on where, possibly, had they gone wrong?? She was learning from the watchman, the TV, the people on the road and once she went so far as to call the neighbouring lady a “donkey”, and a beggar whom she saw from the rickshaw “useless fellow” to Mira’s great annoyance!!!!!!
Mira was at her wit’s end and yet she could not bring herself to ask anyone what she should do because she felt that if she told anyone that her daughter was picking up these words, they would think her to be a very bad mother. No, that would never do. So she kept the matter all hushed up. After all, children were angels of God and as she grew up, she would surely learn! So saying, she consoled herself and managed to convince Aman too.
Soon Sia was going to school, trotting with her index finger clasped in her mother’s hand, a tiny little saddle-like bag over her shoulder, two little pigtails swinging as she walked and a broad smile for every passer-by.
At school, she used to have jolly time and come home and recount her experience to her mom, most animatedly and with the same enthusiasm to her dad when he returned home in the evening. But to their utmost horror, they found that their daughter was not alone in her grasp and use of abusive language. Kids of today learnt too much too soon!!!! On talking about it to the teachers at an access session, this was a point of heated debate between parents of various kids and the teachers, each playing the blame game. Parents accused teachers of lack of guard at school while teachers retorted that if parents couldn’t look after one kid at home, how did they expect the teachers to keep an eye on 30 at a time!
And so the story ends!!!!!!!! What were you expecting??? A solution??? A happy ending saying how Sia transformed???? No I won’t give any of it because what we see around us today is precisely what I have said using Sia as a pawn. Where it all begins, how it gets engraved on the tender and gullible minds of little ones and how they pass it on!!!!!
True, as age and maturity comes, they learn to exercise some discretion in using the words, but that is hardly congratulatory!!!!! Nip it in the bud and we’ll have a more civil, genteel and decent youth in our time who have a strong sense of what should and should not be said, when, where and to whom! Think about it!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s all for now…….till next time, from slo it’s Tally-ho!!!
That was one day. But day after day, Sia was proving to be extremely quick at picking up words and phrases that made Aman and Mira strongly suspect their upbringing and they had many discussions on where, possibly, had they gone wrong?? She was learning from the watchman, the TV, the people on the road and once she went so far as to call the neighbouring lady a “donkey”, and a beggar whom she saw from the rickshaw “useless fellow” to Mira’s great annoyance!!!!!!
Mira was at her wit’s end and yet she could not bring herself to ask anyone what she should do because she felt that if she told anyone that her daughter was picking up these words, they would think her to be a very bad mother. No, that would never do. So she kept the matter all hushed up. After all, children were angels of God and as she grew up, she would surely learn! So saying, she consoled herself and managed to convince Aman too.
Soon Sia was going to school, trotting with her index finger clasped in her mother’s hand, a tiny little saddle-like bag over her shoulder, two little pigtails swinging as she walked and a broad smile for every passer-by.
At school, she used to have jolly time and come home and recount her experience to her mom, most animatedly and with the same enthusiasm to her dad when he returned home in the evening. But to their utmost horror, they found that their daughter was not alone in her grasp and use of abusive language. Kids of today learnt too much too soon!!!! On talking about it to the teachers at an access session, this was a point of heated debate between parents of various kids and the teachers, each playing the blame game. Parents accused teachers of lack of guard at school while teachers retorted that if parents couldn’t look after one kid at home, how did they expect the teachers to keep an eye on 30 at a time!
And so the story ends!!!!!!!! What were you expecting??? A solution??? A happy ending saying how Sia transformed???? No I won’t give any of it because what we see around us today is precisely what I have said using Sia as a pawn. Where it all begins, how it gets engraved on the tender and gullible minds of little ones and how they pass it on!!!!!
True, as age and maturity comes, they learn to exercise some discretion in using the words, but that is hardly congratulatory!!!!! Nip it in the bud and we’ll have a more civil, genteel and decent youth in our time who have a strong sense of what should and should not be said, when, where and to whom! Think about it!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s all for now…….till next time, from slo it’s Tally-ho!!!
1 comment:
Well there are three ways in which this idea might have been conceptualised. Either you had the the conclusion in mind before you got the rest of the essay. Or when you were in a collective stream of writing the story you realised you were going to make another cliched moral science story. So lets end it abruptly and summarise and bring in a wholely different opinion Third, well this for some reason is not a very distinct possibilty is that You just lost your way in continuing the story. Dont really think thats the case since you would never be able to end it in a prim proper way that you did end. .. .. Correct me if I am wrong . . .
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