Category: Motherhood
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Tooth fairy tales
I walk along the perimeter of my home, the bundle in my hand feeling heavier with each step. I pause as I hear the garage door roll. A smile involuntarily creeps up my face. I heave the baby to my shoulders and open the door. The sun rays slant, lighting up a part of the…
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Letters to my daughters: Milestones
Dear Laddu, My left palm rests on the top of your head. The warmth from me seeping into you, lulling you into sleep. You smile in your sleep. I find myself mirroring you. The apples of your cheek shine with the sheen of the coconut oil I massaged into your skin. It was not too…
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Reflections on Mother’s Day
“Describe Amma” I coax Pattu in an effort to catch her off guard. “Amma loves me” she answers even as she furrows her brow working on her mother’s day card. “What do you like best about Amma?” I persist She thinks for a moment before answering and without lifting her head says “Hula-hooping” I smile and…
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The birth story
We set out, Saathi and I leaving pieces of ourselves behind as we turned the corner of our home. The garage doors rolled down behind us hiding Ammu, Pattu and my Amma from view. I held back tears as we set out on a new journey. The car ride to the hospital was silent and…
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Milestones that sneak up on you
Sometime late last year, I browsed the local schools online trying to find out what the process was like to register for Kindergarten. I got on mailing lists. I marked dates on my calendar and let it be. One fine morning I woke up to a gentle reminder that registration was coming up. The choices…
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One year of (s)mothering
Dear Ammu and Pattu, This Sunday is Mother’s Day. It will mark one more year of (s)mothering you with love and food. One year of worrying about potty training you and feeling elated when you graduated to underpants. One year of you sleeping all by yourself in your own bed. One year of eating by…
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Bubbles and bikes
The clock showed a minute to 9:00 PM. The sole light in the vast expanse of our first floor came from the low hanging fixture above my head. I folded clothes. Mechanically and without thought. The evening had been rough. Potty regression? Check. Power struggles? Check. Yelling and screaming? Check. Haggling and cajoling? Check. Crying?…
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Life’s little lessons
Mulling over a few different thoughts in my head, I debated between taking up this tag that is doing its rounds on the internet and writing about this interview I heard today on NPR. After deleting two drafts of the latter since I could not get my thoughts together cogently, I figured I would take…
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Falling in love
Staring at the Facebook page, deep in thought, looking for material for a paper due in a couple of weeks, I saw the reds flash on the baby monitor followed by wails from Cee. Closing the monitor in a hurry, I jumped off the couch and bounded up the stairs to pick her before her…
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That’s why I stand outside the door
Wiping Cee’s snotty nose, I glanced at the clock. 8:42 AM. Wanting to be out and on my way and torn with guilt at watching my poor mom bend painfully to feed the kutties, I gave up. Dropping my bag, I took the bottle of baby food and shoved huge spoonfuls into two unwilling mouths. Dropping…