Little things

Our house was full during the past month with 2 tiny tots of the same age and around 7 adults around them. I know it’s a lot, especially in this pandemic situation. To be honest, between all the fun family time, there was hardly some time for me and v to connect with each other. I could feel the sense of wanting from V, but with due to some or the other reason, I was unable to sit with her as I used to. Making things worse was, as soon as she wakes up she says she wants to go downstairs and meet all the others. But the moment we reach down, she starts to cling on to me and cries as soon as someone says Hi or touches her or even wishes good morning. It could have been overwhelming for her, though she loves the company of each and every person in the house. Initially I thought I will let it go, she needs to handle this and let her cry it out or she is just being fussy and all sorts of things, it was getting bad to an extend where if she doesn’t see me around for a few seconds, her whining starts off. V never being such kind of a kid, it was affecting me. Deep inside I knew I was the cause for all this. Today again the same cycle repeated when we went down to see her grandmother, and she started crying, and as usual all distractive stories started off about the crows and squirrels and the cooking that was being done and all, nothing was working and she kept hugging me and crying not even allowing me to make my morning tea. Then I thought I will make it a point to address her needs and just be with her in whatever she wants to do. I just took her out of the house and she kept lying on my shoulders and whining after some time of undistracted crying, I felt she was getting better. And slowly she said she wants to get down. Once that was done, slowly she went on exploring keeping a trust on me that I will be there with her and started collecting all the fallen down dry leaves there, one by one she brought it in while I sat on the verandah and keeping all her leaves. All she did was pick up leaves and bring it to me, but the excitement that I saw on her face was beyond words. How could taking a dry leaf which eventually was supposed to be raked and put to some corner or burnt, give immense pleasure to my little one?

While she was taking it all up, the house maid came to take it all and was telling her in a very low tone “what are you doing? Its all trash!” but I knew it was her precious set of toys that she had found and was learning a lot from it. The comments we say around them is also very important rather than just the experience you offer. Since I stood there with her, being the keeper of her precious leaves, she did enjoy and played for a long time. The differences in colors, textures, shapes, sizes of each leaf was something to look into. Of course at V’s age who is just turning 2 years, all these differences doesn’t matter much, but the tactile and visual experiences she gets to observe without any hinderance is something to be thought of.

I am sure almost all parents go through a stage where they find their kids picking up twigs, sticks, stones, rocks, leaves etc. and walking around, and I have heard many of them express that their kids do not play, they just love picking up things. To all of them who have thought of this, I would like to reinforce the idea that this is how they play. They are exploring their world through any thing or any trash they find. As parents, We spend thousands and thousands of rupees, buying toys, finding activities etc. to keep kids entertained, but siting simply with them out in the nature or just outside the house or on the terrace give them one of the best experiences, which is priceless and much more valuable than any toy can teach.