When I grow up

3yo: When I grow up, I am going to marry Ben (boy at her pre-school)

Me: Not Wyatt? (another boy whom she does not like)

3yo: No, not Wyatt. I am going to make him sad and lonely.

Conversations with God 2

Nidhi, in the middle of prayer

".. and I am going to be a very good girl, so you will not have a chance to throw me into hell. .."

(Mis)Understanding English

I'm reading a bedtime story to Nidhi. In between she asks,

3yo: Why was the tail making a noise?

Me: Whose tail?

3yo: Big bear mother's tail.

Me: It wasn't making a noise.

3yo: Then why were they listening to it?

The sentence I had just read

"So, night after night, snug inside their den, the cubs listened to Big Bear Mother's tales."

Reasoning and numeracy

On the phone to Amma:
"If there's only 1 crisp left, I'll give one quarter to daddy, one quarter to mummy, and I'll take half"


***
3yo: How long will the payasam take?
Me: 15 minutes
3yo: Ok. How long will it take me to read the 'George' book (a book about a monkey called 'Curious George')
Me: 5 minutes
3yo: Ok. So, if I read the book, then it will still be 10 more minutes
Me: That's right
3yo (thinks for a bit): Ok. So I'll read the book 3 times and then the payasam will be ready


***
Me: If I make two sausages for each of us, then how many do I have to make
3yo (counts on her fingers): Two for mummy, two for daddy, two for me. That's six sausages.

Oh! to be a child

It snowed heavily in England today.

Me: If it snows like this we wont be able to go to school tomorrow

3yo: I want the snow to stop, because I want to ride my scooter to school tomorrow

Me: Um..hm

3yo: And I want it to snow on my way back, because I want to walk

You surprise me

We are playing 'doctor-doctor'. Nidhi is the doctor and picks up a notepad and pen to give me a prescription. She uses a whole sheet of paper, and writes letters all over the page, to prescribe 'P-a-r-i-s-i-m-o-l-l'.

That's her single-handed attempt at spelling Paracetamol.

***

Some of her remarks on the phone to Amma today:

"I want to get married in summer"

"Last night God disturbed my sleep"

***

Talking about her birthday

3yo: Can we have a party outside in the garden for my birthday?

Me: It will be very cold in February, Tochi

3yo: No, we can wear coats

Me: It will be cold. Everyone would like to be indoors, no one would want to be outside.

3yo: (getting upset) Nooo... I want to have a birthday in summer

How things were

I wrap Nidhi in a towel and pick her out of the bath. I haven't dried her completely, and as I enter the bedroom, I realise that she must be cold. Setting her down on the floor, I ask her to go quickly and stand in front of the heater.

As she is standing there, letting me wipe the rest of the water off her, she remarks: "In the olden days, when there were no towels.." .. pause.. "...and there were heaters, people used to dry their children on the heaters."

Aurangazeb

The monarch lay upon his bier,

Censers were burning low,

As through the loft arches streamed

The setting sun's red glow.

Still grasped he in his hand the blade

Which well-fought fields had won,

And Aurungzebe beside him knelt,

Usurper proud and son!

Remorse had stricken his false heart

And quenched his wonted fire,

With gloomy brow and look intent

He gazed upon his sire:

Can tyrant death make him afraid?

Hot tears burst from his eyes

As thus his grief found vent in words

To the warrior-train's surprise

"Father, thou wert the goodliest king

That e'er the sceptre swayed,

How could I then lift up my arm

Against thee undismayed,

How could I send thee here to pine

Usurp the peacock-throne

O had I perished in the womb

That deed were left undone.

See, all is changed that was estranged,

Awake my sire, my king,

See, soldiers in their war array

Thy son in fetters bring!

Thy rebel son who will abide

Thy word whate'er it be,

And fearless meet the wrack or steel

Rise up once more and see!

Thou wilt not hear, thou wilt not speak,

It is the last long sleep.

And am I not a king myself?

What means these stirrings deep?

O foolish eyes, what means this rheum?

I will not call them tears;

My heart that nothing e'er could daunt

Is faint with boding fears.

The past appears! a checkered field

Of guilt and shame and war,

What evil influence ruled my birth,

What swart malignant star?

Why did I barter peace of mind

For royal pomp and state?

Mad for the baleful meteor’s gleam

With worldly joys elate.

Remembered voices speak my name

And call me parricide,

The murdered Dara beckons me -

He was thy joy and pride:

And thus I fling the dear-bought crown,

But whither can I fly?

The awful thought still follows me

That even kings will die.

With dad

Rohan (to Nidhi): I love you more than there are birds in the sky

3yo (to dad): I love you more than there are cows in the ground

R: I love you more than there are stars in the sky

3yo (to dad): I love you more than there are moons.... umm... more than there are ducks in the river

R: I love you more than there are pebbles on the beach

3yo (to dad): I love you more than there is sand in my school

R: I love you..

3yo: (jumping in before he can finish): I love you more than you love me

Rohan and me are sitting and Nidhi approaches us menacingly.

3yo: I am pretending to be a lion (she pronounces it line)

Me: To be a what?

3yo: A line

Me: It's not line, it's lion

3yo: To be a line

Me: Lie-yun

3yo: I am pretending to be a lie-yern

Me to Ro: You try

Ro: Tochi, it's lie-un

{By this point 3yo probably wants to tear us both apart}

Since she isn't saying anything I ask: What are you pretending to be?

3yo: (pause) A leopard

Ironical

Me to Rohan, in frustration, at the start of the weekend, feeling hopelessly inadequate and unfulfilled in the role of homemaker: "I want to do something! I want to DO something!!"

Nidhi, at play on the living room floor, looks up at me earnestly: "You can play with me, for your do something"

Magical

Nidhi has started to read. It's truly magical.. the day your child picks up a book they've never read before and makes sense of it. She's always been very interested in books and alphabets. She learnt the phonetic sound entirely on her own. Sometime around the start of this year, she began getting curious about putting sounds together to make words and how to spell. I remember her trying to spell her friend Olivia's name = OLVA.

I bought a book, so that we would learn to read the 'right' way. We're about a third of our way through the book. While the book has given us a structure, I see, however, that Nidhi's reading of familiar books, draws from a combination of the following:

1. Her understanding of the story

2. Recollection of the words on each page

3. Her knowledge of spoken language structure

4. Alphabet/phonic recognition

Last week I got her one of those early readers from the library. But she seems to prefer her usual story books to "Ted in a red bed" (predictably, an easy read, but a nonsensical story). So, we returned that to the library and got several other regular books. I read the new stories to her a couple of times, and she's ready to read them herself.

The 'learning to read' book that I bought has a writing exercise at the end of each lesson. I have been skipping that so far. Well actually, we did the first few lessons - but a little differently! We traced the letter shapes on salt, instead of writing with a pencil. She enjoyed those, but it was getting messy at times. Maybe we ought to start those again.

Ain't it hard

Nidhi (contemplatively): It's very hard to kiss yourself.

Would you dare

After a bath, I'm drying Nidhi's hair, may be a little roughly. She says, "You're hurting me. You're hurting me! Be careful. You don't want to hurt your child, do you?" :-O

I think I can spell

Nidhi is on the phone talking to her grandma. I'm hearing only her side of the conversation, naturally.

3yo: Do you know about the owl who was afraid of the dark?

3yo: I heard it on the music system

3yo: The owl's name is Plop

3yo: No, his name is Plop

3yo: Plop, Plop, Ploppp....

3yo: No, P-O-P-E Plop

Isn't it logical

We're out working in the garden. Nidhi has climbed into a wheelbarrow and has been sitting in it for sometime. While I'm digging she asks:

3yo: If I fall from a loat (rhyming with boat) then?
Mummy: If you fall from a what?
3yo: From a loat.
Mummy: What's a loat, there's no word like that.
3yo: No, like height.

How do I say it

Daddy picks up Nidhi who is playing on the stair landing.

3yo: Get down, get down. I want to go down.

Daddy carries her downstairs.

3yo (obviously dissatisfied): I WANT to get down.

Daddy: We are down now.

3yo (struggling with having to explain to daddy who apparently doesn't want to understand): I want to get down from the 'carry'.

Conversations with God

We've been in the habit of saying prayers (usually the Lord's prayer followed by a blessing for everyone in the family) for a long while now. Lately I thought I must encourage Nidhi to make her own prayers. So I ask her to think of things 1) to thank God for 2) to say sorry for 3) to ask God for 4) anything else she'd like to say

Some of her prayers:

Dear God, Thank you for Saturday and Sunday so that we can have lots of sweets and chocolates (she is allowed sweets only on weekends).

Dear God, thank you for the places like hotels where we can go and stay and have lovely food. And thank you for vehicles like trains and cars so that we can go to far away places. (After the church weekend away)

(Is there anything about school you would like to thank God for)

Thank you for the outside so that we can play.

(Is there anything you dont like about school?)

Yes, I dont like the school building. No, I dont mind it. Actually, I like everything about school.

Thank you for making Amma so that I can talk to her.

Tidbits from India visit

Nidhi to Mummy who is emerging after a bath, having just arrived home from the airport

3yo: When you were taking a bath, I was talking to Bombay papa (her grandpa).

M: (a little incredulous) Is it?

3yo: Yes, I was asking Bombay papa a lot of questions.

M: (trying to imagine how that conversation must have gone) Is it? And what did Bombay papa say?

3yo: Bombay papa said "mmm"

Nidhi on seeing her grandpa in a lungi

3yo: Mummy, why is Bombay papa not wearing any clothes?

Nidhi watches me with my mother for a while before stating:

3yo: I saw that Bombay mummy is as old as you

M: And how did you see that?

3yo: She is as tall as you

When staying with my sister at Cochin I often borrowed her clothes to wear. One night I was in the dimmed out bedroom where Nidhi had been put to sleep. I was folding some clothes when I saw her watching me through half-closed eyes for a long time, saying nothing (v unusual).

M: What is it Tochi?

3yo: (eyes wide open) Mummy, who are you?

Conversations with a 3 year old - 4

Nidhi, watching a car drive away from our apartment block

3yo: Whose car is that mummy?

M: It's the people living downstairs, in No.1

3yo: What is their names mummy?

M: I don't know, I've never spoken to them

3yo: Why dint you speak to them mummy?

M: Because they're never around. They leave early for work, and come back late in the evening.

3yo (thinking about this): Are they men?

M: No, there's one man and one lady

3yo: But you are a lady and you don't work

M: I work at home, I look after you. I used to work before, when you weren't there.

3yo: Is it when I was in your tummy?

M: No, before that, when you were with God.

3yo: (after thinking for a bit): So, when I grow up and go outside all by myself, then will you go for work?

M: Hmm, I might

3yo (after thinking for a bit): So, the people in No.1, their child is not there

M: Yes, you're right, they don't have any children

The meaning of an apology

Nidhi is jumping on the floor yet again, inspite of being told several times that it disturbs the people in the flat downstairs

Mummy (with a lot of restraint): Don't do that.

3 yr old: I'm sorry, I wont do it next time.

M (beginning to explain again why she shouldn't): See if you jump, the aunty downstairs....

3yo: No, stop talking.

M: What?

3yo: Stop talking, because I said sorry.

Conversations with a 3 year old - 3

While waiting at an estate agent's office

3 yr old: Mummy, why do you have pimples?

Mummy: Because I'm getting old.

3yo: Why do you have white hair?

M: Because I'm getting old.

3yo: Why are you getting old?

M: Because people do, that's how it is.

3yo: Why, mummy?

M: Ask your teachers at school.

3yo (after a lot of thought and staring at mummy's head): When you are 34 yrs old will your hair be fully white?

M: &*^%$#@ (at this rate, probably YES)

After her 1st visit session at pre-school

Mummy: Did you enjoy school today?

3 yo: Yes I did

M: What did you like the most?

3 yo: Nobody took the toys I was playing with. All the children shared their toys with me. Everyone was very nice to me.

Answering the phone

Sometimes when Nidhi rushes to answer the phone at home, her dad would have picked up the parallel line in the other room. She listens in to a bit of the conversation, and then replaces the phone, and tells me who daddy was talking to and what they were saying. One day she answered the phone when her dad called home from work.

Mummy: Say hello

3yo: (replaces the receiver)

M: Who was it?

3yo: It was daddy and only daddy, and daddy was talking to himself.

Conversations with a 3 year old - 2

3 yr old: Mummy, what is "xyz"?

Mummy: Ask your daddy.

3yo: Why do you ask me to ask daddy?

M: Because daddy is smart.

(While 3 yo is digesting this information)

M: Who is smarter - mummy or daddy?

3 yo (very seriously): Me.

Conversations with a 3 year old - 1

(Mummy busy at work in the kitchen)

3 yr old: (has been quiet or talking to self for a while, and suddenly addresses mummy with a volley of questions): Why are you 32 years old? Why is daddy taller than you? Who is Aunty Phong? When you are 40 years old then? Is Amma (her grandma) 80 years old? (at an increasing pitch) Is Amma 80 years OLD? Is Amma 80 YEARS OLD?? WHY ARE YOU NOT TALKING TO ME???