01 May You are their Demigod

When Dan Quayle, the 44th Vice President of the United States, quoted “I couldn’t help but be impressed by the magnitude of the earthquake.” I didn’t know it would remind me of the quivers along the boundary wall of my house. Yes, I am talking of my three-year-old neighbour, Prabhas.

His mum works in a prestigious college nearby and dad is off for work to some distant place. He stays with his grandma and a house help most of the time. He is a bundle of energy and a complete chatterbox. He can weave a story around anything in seconds.

My kitchen window faces his corridor and that exposes me to constant drama, throughout the day. Tiny tots keep me amused, but I have a certain kind of lecturing tendency too. I mean, if I find anything inappropriate, when it comes to the kids, I get tempted to rectify it. It is kind of a moral binding when it comes to shape the innocent minds. I never poke my nose when it comes to adults and that makes me selectively social.

Prabhas and I, share a love-hate relationship I like to tease him and he responds with equal vigour. He has an answer to all my questions and we often go rollickingly offtrack.

“Boundaries” this is the topic of the day. Prabhas happens to listen, to understand and accept whatever I tell him when he is on my premises and when his parents are not around. He would happily hand over his favourite gun to me, he would take no time in uttering “sorry” if he does something wrong, he is an obedient and confirmative child; but as soon as he reaches his verandah, he is a changed notorious and erratic. He argues and fights back non-stop, obviously with his superbly cute reasoning skills.

This made me ponder upon how a parent’s presence can make a child feel comfortable. His confidence soars and he is filled with an undying spirit. I am a stranger, after all, his zone defined around his parents is so brightly lit. That’s the power of parental nurturing.

This is why you need to spend a lot of time with your little ones. You are the stanchion of support and strength they look up to. You are their demigod and they feel secure under your guidance.