For a week, I have been persisting with a particular blue frilly dress that a lady in my colony had stitched for Mira from some leftover dress material. I think it looks lovely but Mira doesnt share my enthusiasm for it.On Monday morning as I pick it up while getting her ready for preschool, she says ithu venda (not this!). She then runs off to pick a trouser and T shirt.
On Tuesday, I try my luck again hoping to pull it down her head when she is distracted with the powder tin. But she gives me the ithu venda refrain again.
It is such a pretty dress, I say aloud.
Let her wear what she likes, V advises me.
But I have to make her wear it a dozen times at least before I donate it to charity.
I keep it aside on Wednesday, but Thursday afternoon V manages to make her wear it as the maid takes her to the tailor to take measurement for yet another leftover-material-dress. "It is only for a very short outing," he tells her. She relents but gets out of it the moment she is back.
I fish it out again today as she prepares for school. "Wont you look like an angel in this?" I coax her. She let me try it on her reluctantly. She runs off to the mirror then.
She is happy with the transformation. She comes back to check herself in the mirror a while later. Still an angel. She goes away happy.
That makes me reflect about my days as a child. My mom would lock me up in the room for refusing to wear the clothes she chose - until I saw reason. But here I have a daughter who has a mind of her own already. Times have changed. Parents obey their children now.
5 comments:
I am glad that my son has finally reached this stage. It shows self awareness and a desire for control /independence. I didn't recognize it at first, coz it came so late (it normally comes in around 2 yrs) but I am relishing it now.
You actually are a very sweet mom!! For coaxing and cajoling her. me and my mum started fighting over clothes since I was 9 I guess. She has never approved of my taste (not that I have one) and we have endless world wars.
Priya: My son, at 4, still doesnt care what he is going to wear when he goes out. But at home, he particularly fancies a Superman T-shirt - the only difficulty is making him get out of it.
Rom: Until I started working (earning), my parents almost always bought my clothes for me. My mom doesnt comment abt my salwar selection tho she is happy with my sari selections for her. My inlaws however disapprove of my ethnic cotton choices, so I try to get a few synthetic ones to please mil! As for V, I have managed to convert him into a cotton fan of the Fabindia variety :)
It appeares that this is a very common syndrome worldwide. My daughter is so choosy that sometime we just drop dead hunting for her favorite slipon or a particular colour tops with so many perferences.....whew....parenting is not easy.......AM
It important to establish that she is able to make up her own mind and lives up to the choices she makes. Else they will grow up into mindless adults.
Post a Comment