Category: Aware parenting
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Parenting – A Do It Yourself Project
I sit at the dark wood table, a good 20 feet from the kitchen watching my children crowd around their Appa as he scoops avocado and slices it into bite sized pieces. I offer to mash it up into guacamole and the four of them shake their heads as they eat the ripe avocado right…
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Little People Observations
“Why do people spit and throw trash on the road Amma? We should teach them not to.” “Why do they keep asking us for our names Amma?” “Why does everyone keep touching our hair Amma?” “So many vehicles on the road is hurting Mother Earth Amma, why don’t people ride bikes or scooter?” If I…
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The Friendship Dynamic
“You have American friends! It is OK for Indians to be friends with Americans?” Pattu is at the kitchen island sipping warm milk with honey when she makes a statement that is posed as a question. Thrown for a loop, I wonder why she is pontificating on deep questions early in the morning. It takes…
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Growing Up
“I am off to read my book…” She waves the book in her hand as I look quizically. My maternal instincts are screaming something is off. “Are you taking the iPad with you?” I ask, eyes scanning for evidence. She holds out her hands which hold the hard bound copy of Charlotte’s Web. I smile,…
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Countering Biases
I watch Laddu toddle onto the driveway. The breeze lifts the hair off her neck. The exhilaration on her face is a treat to watch. Her sisters run around her feeling the wind and enjoying the sun. I feel irrationally happy. We stand, the four of us in the afternoon sun, minutes before we would…
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Parenting conundrums
I put away clothes and tidy up the bedroom picking up stray doll parts and mini bags stuffed with blocks. The TV blares from downstairs as the Colts play the Chiefs. Saathi’s voice modulates as he explains the game to the girls. I smile as straighten the bed and fold the warm throws. As the…
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Change starts with YOU
In the quickened steps as darkness falls. In the eyes that look downward rather than upfront. In the empty folder that shields against unwelcome advances. In the revulsion that rises up the abdomen as a guy flashes himself on a desolate road. In the fingers that feel my back in a crowded bus. In the…