She said, He said!!! Rules of Parenting

When it comes to laying down the rules, both the parents are quite different. While one will say that I won’t be angry on our daughter, other says that we will have to be, or else she would become stubborn. This is just the beginning. I had the same conversation with my husband, when our daughter was not even born. The situation changed when she turned one. He used to be angry on her at times, where else I prevented him from doing this. There are no ground rules as such when it comes to parenting. It all depends on the situation. But one thing is for sure, you need to tackle it smartly, especially when your kid starts understanding.

When I and my husband have an argument, our daughter is quite upset. Surprisingly, she even vomits too. Seeing this behavior of hers, we have even started avoiding major arguments, just to keep the ambiance of our abode sane. Instead of arguing, we try to solve it amicably; so that she learns the same from us. Parenting is something we should mutually agree with. For instance, we have decided that we will not shower our daughter with expensive clothes, toys and things. We will give her one thing at a time and let her enjoy it to the maximum. Make sure that both of you agree with this and try to explain it with examples. When I ask my husband about setting a rule, I always quote an example of someone to make him understand and he does the same.

Moreover, parenting comes automatically. You do not need to take classes or something for the same. As I said earlier, it all depends on the situation. You never know how your kid will turn out and hence, you need to take one day at a time. If you are still in the phase of pregnancy or your kid is not old enough for setting some rules, I assure you that you will love being a parent. J  

Homemade Instant Baby Food

Twinkle of your eyes is 6 months old now. They say it's best to start giving them solids.... So, besides daal ka paani, chawal ka paani, khichdi, what shall be given to babies that can be prepared instantly? Yes, instantly because there's a lot a mommy needs to do besides preparing food for the baby. Here is a recipe that you can prepare in advance and store in a box. Its just needs to be warmed with milk or water and fed to the babies. This powder is much more healthy than those available in markets. However, a note of caution here, check for food allergies that your baby might have and you are not aware of.

Ingredients required:

Whole Rice -                                  1 bowl

Whole Wheat -                               1 bowl

Whole Moong / Green Gram -        1/2 bowl

Whole Moth/Matki/Turkish Gram    1/2 bowl

Nachni / Ragi / Finger Millet -         1/2 bowl

Soya Seeds -                                1/2 bowl                  

Almonds                                       20-25

Walnuts                                        10-15                       

Wash all the ingredients thoroughly in running water. Let them dry separately under the fan. Dry roast them, one by one. Grind them separately with the help of a food processor. Make sure that it turns into a fine powder. While giving, just add warm water or warm milk to it. if your baby is fond of sweet, add some sugar or jaggery. If your baby likes salty, add some salt. Salt cannot be added to milk, however.

I used to give it plain because babies do not have developed taste buds till the age of 1. Hence, it is not necessary to give them sugar or salt. Sometimes, it is harmful too.

Things that I will miss Post Pregnancy

It’s the beginning of the 10^th month now and the baby will be out any moment!!! Yes, I am anxious and happy at the same time. No more will I have to carry this big round bump everywhere. I am sad too. Besides all the love and care that is showered throughout the day, I am gonna miss a million things post the pregnancy phase:

What I love the most is the tingling in my tummy that began after five months...This tingling will go away. There will no one in my tummy. I had a habit of talking to the baby anywhere and everywhere, to the amusement of the people staring at me. Once the baby is out, I won’t be able to amuse people with my random musings.

It is fabulous to know that a life is breathing inside when you are pregnant. I was way too cautious what I heard, talked, ate and thought about. Now, I will be the same old brat.

The incessant kicks post eating something good. Yes, my baby has the same taste as mine. Both of us like the same kind of foods.

The resolve only to eat healthy food for a healthy baby will be gone now. Now, once again I will eye those noodles and fill my tummy and yes, what about that cuppa coffee I had bid goodbye to.

My huge tummy that makes it presence felt first. Yes, wherever I went, people gave way to me and my tummy. I didn’t have to say ‘excuse me’. Just a smile and thank you was enough most of the times.

No one judges me for a bad fashion sense. After all, pregnant women do not have much option. Sometimes they do but they can easily make an excuse.

All the excuses in the name of cravings. Frankly speaking, I had no cravings. Or the other way round, I had cravings since the day I was born, so in that sense, I had no special pregnancy craving. I just made people run for my favourite food which I was not able to do before pregnancy. 

Advice of aunty, grandma, sister, husband, momma and everyone. People trying to make conversations with me and asking me a thing or two will be missed for sure.

A keen scrutiny of all the names in the world for choosing the best one. This will have a separate post in the blog. During pregnancy, I used to ask kids their names and think whether it will suit my baby.

Changing the television channel to skip the bad things. Yes, I didn’t watch shows laden with abusive language and such things.

And obviously the much hyped pregnancy glow. Yes, I felt a shade or two lighter and a ton or two heavier during pregnancy. But, I felt very good throughout. My skin was smiling and my hair blushing. What more does one need yaa???

Oh my God!! I am Pregnant!!!

Whether you exclaimed this in happiness, despair or mixed feelings, this is the thing you will or must have uttered, when you saw that pink line on the test. As for me, I was quite sad and even cried a lot in spite of the fact that we were trying for pretty three months. I thought it would take a year or so to make a baby and started early. Throughout the pregnancy, I kept on thinking that we could have waited for another year or so. But, now when my baby is 1.6, I think we took the right step at the right time. When I see couples who have delayed maternity and are not able to conceive, I think its better you plan early.

‘Don’t tell this to anyone yet’ my mother exclaimed. It is a bad omen to tell the good news. With ants in my pants and a bun in my oven, I waited for 3 months to crack the news. Actually, I could wait only for 2.5 and started letting the cat outta bag to my besties. When the news reached the relatives and neighbors, I used to keep a bag for the advices. All the advices were locked in the bag, never to be used again. ‘Do not eat fast food’, they told me. With the health going up and down, fast food is something like comfort food. I need to grab it at least once in a week, just like I do with the instant noodles.

Walk, walk and walk. Yes, walking is very good for health. But, as I walked, they stared me and yes, my tummy too. Walk slow, girl. No, I can’t. I do not have a habit of slowing down. Mommies run marathon and dance on the heels, man. I am just walking, let me walk in peace. Love happens at the time of cholera and pregnancy at the time of monsoon. Oh my God, I just hated those rainy days, gloomy ones with no one at my side to cheer me up. It was just me, with my hubby returning late. Times passed and my tummy grew up to be a balloon. So, this was the time to guess the gender.

Oh, it would be a baby boy. No, your bums have not grown up. It would be a baby girl. This continued. And I was least concerned. One thing that I was concerned about that my baby hearing all this and deciding gender preferences for the future. And then was the time to ‘when’s the baby coming out?’ this was the most irritating question of all, making me all the more anxious; as my baby took more than 9 months to come outta my shield.

But, I must tell you that it is all these things that made my pregnancy fun. It would have been boring without advices and questions. I loved being pregnant as people smiled at me and made me happy. Thank you God for surrounding me with good people.