Friday, January 18, 2008

Empty threats

We have been threatening Ash that we will pack him off to his grandparents' place in Kerala if he doesnt behave/raises a tantrum/bullies Mira etc. etc.
Appacha veetil poyi ninno (Go stay in granpa's house), we tell him. That gets him quiet. Or emotional. He begins crying or tries to change the topic or tries to get the parent into a good mood to lessen the punishment.
But we have been using this so often that it has become cliched. The kids are now using it to impose judgements on each other.
Appacha ninno (Granpa stay), each hurl punishment on the other at the slightest instance of a crime.
Ash is more specific: Vaava Appacha ninno. He then comes to us to rally support for his judgement against Vaava, his demon sister: Amma, vaava Appacha ninno.
But Mira's pronouncement of the judgment is more cute. She stresses on the ninno. She even uses it against the maid or us parents when she doesnt like the way we are behaving towards her! Though she breaks into a howl if we sound as if we really mean to send her away.
Meanwhile the Appacha and Ammachi are feeling sad about their grandchildren's reactions to living with them.

7 comments:

Joyismygoal said...

I hopoe they will still like to visit and when you do go not feel it a punihment :>

the other romila said...

Damn cute....blog more of this!!

Ladybird said...

M: They love going to their grandparents' place with us, but not alone. I guess they feel insecure not having either of us with them. They also talk to them on the ph often.
Rom: Hurling threats went on ystday night too, and Ash began sobbing loudly. I think he still gets upset, esp at night, to think of having lived there with them for 3 mnths without us. It is not that he dislikes them, just the loneliness of those months...

Anonymous said...

hi, parents are parents.. the attention u get is different when u r alone and when u go to g'parents with parents..
so goes when u visit anyones home alone or with another person!
hope u can do with maids .. take care ust

Ladybird said...

actually he had a VIP status with my parents when he was alone. They terribly pampered and humored him to make up for our absence. He began on icecreams and chocolates only then. They even had a little cot made for him.

Grousewife said...

i know you dont watch hindi films but do try and watch Taare Zameen Par. I highly recommend it as must watch for all parents. And as for threats Tejas has taken to divorcing the offending parent and making a unit with the favoured one for the moment against the one he has divorced!!It is great fun reading about your kids as it reminds me of times mine has grown out of.

Ladybird said...

Hi, thanks.
ANd I am planning to watch Taare Zamin par, maybe on dvd, soon.

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