What parents are for

Rohan is away doing a sailing course on the weekend. Nidhi is talking to me while I am washing up.

4yo: Daddy has gone to the coast to learn sailing because you know Mummy, if daddy goes on the boat he must know how to sail. Or if he falls from the boat he will drown. And if he drowns then who will work and earn money for us?

Then you will have to work for us mummy.

But then who will cook for me?

You will have to work and do the cooking.

Yeah, she has it all figured out at 4!!

******

Nidhi has a very unemotional view of death as you can see above. Today she is contemplating about my death.

4yo: Mummy, will you be dead before I am dead?

Me: Yes, I think so

4yo: But that's ok. May be, when I am in the middle of 20 years then you will be dead, because then I don't need you.

Friendship

I like Carla a lot. But I am not going to marry her because a boy should marry her. Even though I like her so much as to marry her. (?!)

Room on the broom

Me and Rohan are sharing a hug when Nidhi appears around our legs, keen to be included. We are purposefully ignoring her.

Nidhi: I am a girl as good as can be. Is there room in the hug for a girl like me?

(adapting lines from one of her story books called Room on the broom)

More on God

Nidhi: Mummy, WHY did God want Jesus to die?

Me: As a punishment for all our sins

Nidhi: But then, why do you still give me time out?

***

Nidhi: Mummy, there are so many people in the world. Is there a God for everybody?

Mummy: God is very big, he can look after everybody in the world.

***

Nidhi: Daddy, can God do anything?

Daddy: Yes

Nidhi: Then can he make other Gods? Then there will be enough Gods to look after everybody in the world.

Thrice times

Nidhi is plucking blossoms from a tree in the garden.

4yo: Here, I got one for you

Me: Thank you

4yo: And I got one for myself and one for daddy

Me: That's good

After some time

4yo: Can I pluck some more

Me:Sure, you can get 2 for each of us. So how many will that be?

4yo: 6

Me: And if you get 3 for each of us, how many will that be (thinking this will be difficult)

4yo: 9

Me (impressed): And if you get 4 for each of us, then how many will that be? (certain that this will stump her)

4yo (without hesitation): 12

I don't know how she does it!

Getting married and other things

Nidhi: If I marry a man having a child then?

Me: That's ok, you can marry a man who has a child. As long as he doesn't have a wife already.

4yo: If I marry a man with a child then he will have two children.

Me: How is that ?

4yo: Because one child will be inside my tummy.

****

Daddy: Nidhi, before you go upstairs can you draw the curtains?

4yo: No, because I don't have white colour (referring to the colour of the curtains)

****

Nidhi was waiting for me to finish cooking, and take her out to ride her bike. We had been counting down every 5 mins from 50 mins. When I said for the second time, that she had to wait for 5 mins more, she protested saying:

4yo: But it has already been some minutes after 5 mins

Me: Ok, then 4 and a half minutes more

She was very quiet for a while, so I went to check. She was sitting, with her hands in front of her, like she was counting.

Me: What are you doing?

4yo: I'm counting two 120s and 30

Me: What? (not understanding the calculation)

4yo (repeats): Two 120s and 30

About God

Nidhi one day: When God was a little child did he go to school?

*****

I've just read the bible story about Jesus raising Jairus's daughter from the dead to Nidhi. She contemplates this for a while and then says:

"I want to be like Jesus. When I die and go to heaven will I be able to do all the things that God can do?"

How old?

Nidhi's previous key worker was very impressed when, early in September, after Nidhi started pre-school, one day she counted upto 30 unaided. Further, when the key worker (Dana) said that that was how old she was, Nidhi told her that her mummy was 32 years old and that her daddy was 33. I din't find this remarkable until this week.

This week is school half term and Nidhi has been very socially active. She's been having playdates with friends from pre-school every day. The pre-school mom who came on Monday was clearly impressed when Nidhi counted upto 100, to take turns for playing with the same toy. Her son wouldn't count upto 20 without making mistakes.

Then yesterday another girl from pre-school was playing with Nidhi and they were talking about their ages. The girl asked how old I was and Nidhi said I was 33years old and so was her father. Then Nidhi asked the girl how old her dad was. The girl said 15. Nidhi turned around and gave me a funny look. Today she said, "Her dad cannot be 15 because then he will be a child."

Given any two random numbers between 1 and 100, Nidhi can correctly say which is the bigger of the two.

Literacy and numeracy appear to be her strengths. When Nidhi started pre-school I was pretty certain she would be the brightest child in her class. I have been in to preschool to help several times in the last term and a half. As a result, I have had the opportunity to observe all the children. I have to say, I no longer consider Nidhi the brightest child in the class. They are all unique and all have their talents. Some are great at making friends, others are great at looking after each other, some have very good communication, some are very confident and assertive, some are just very funny the way they are, and the things they say.

They are at this lovely age when it's wonderful to watch them learn and develop. It would be silly really to try to compare or pit them against each other.

Taste of Bollywood

By choice, we have no TV. Nidhi has not watched any Bollywood movies or songs till date. Today I was humming an old Hindi song all morning. Wanting to get more of the lyrics I searched for the video and played it on youtube.

After a couple of lines of the song have played, Nidhi appears interested and watches the screen.

4yo: I like this singing. I like the song.

Me: :-)

4yo: But I can't sing it because the words are very different from what I know.

Me: :-)

After watching some more

4yo: Are they trying to get married?

Just for the record, it was a harmless song: Aisa sama na hota, from Zameen Asmaan, a 1980s movie.

Twice times

I'm reading a book to Nidhi and notice that she is playing with her fingers instead of following the story. I'm just about to show my irritation when she says "Four twos are nine". I look at her a little doubtfully and shake my head "Unh..unh". She looks at her fingers again and says"It's eight. Four twos are eight"

I'm amazed but say nothing. She did this a few weeks back when I was putting her to bed and she was playing with her fingers and said "Three twos is six". At that time I din't pay much attention as I thought it was purely guesswork or chance.

I don't know why she's even thinking on these lines (ie times tables). We have never touched the subject as far as I can remember.

I had a general chat with Liz, her key worker at pre-school earlier today. I did not talk about any of Nidhi's numeracy skills but Liz mentioned that numbers seems to be Nidhi's strength/talent. She plans to work further with Nidhi on numbers in the next half term. Will be interesting to see how that goes.

You can't win

Nidhi loves her fried egg sunny side up. Not surprisingly she loves runny egg yolk. I'm thinking of a quick dinner tonight since we were late getting back from the dentist.

Me: Would you like fried egg or fish fingers?

4yo: Fried egg. But don't give me 4 pieces of bread, just give me 2.

Me: Why?

4yo: Because by the time I eat 2 pieces, it gets over.

Me: What gets over?

4yo: The dip (she means the runny yolk into which she dips the bread)

Me: Well, you've got to eat the white part then. You can't just eat the yolk and leave the rest. I'm not going to make a fried egg. I'm making an omelette.

4yo: Ok, I'll have fish fingers.

No longer 3yo

4yo: Can God carry the world?

Me: Yes, he can do anything

4yo: Can he carry you, and me and daddy, and all the 6 billion people in the world?

Me: Yes, he can

4yo: Can Samson carry that?

Me: Hmmm... no I don't think so

4yo: But he was very strong. Can Samson carry 10 people?

Me: Ya, may be, but not the whole world.

4yo: Can God carry himself?

Me: (sigh!) Yes, I think so, since he can do anything

4yo: Even though that is impossible?!

Me: Uh..uh..

After life

3yo: Can we use toilets in heaven?

Me: Yes, I guess so. Why do you want to know?

3yo: Because daddy said we'll live in heaven for ever and ever.

Story teller

A story Nidhi made up during lunch one day

Once there were two girls. One was named Cherry and the other was named Chocolate. One day Cherry and Chocolate went to school. Their teacher said, "Cherry and Chocolate, both your names begin with 'Ch', so you both stand up."

But Cherry and Chocolate did not know their letter sounds. So they ran away.

About God

3yo: Did God make poor people and robbers too?

Cheeky Monkey

Me: Mummy loves you Tochutaen

3yo: Me too

(pause..)

3yo: I love myself too

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.