We are completing one successful week of summer vacation.

I am still alive.

So are the children.

Our day is like this:

They go to a neighbor’s house for 2 hrs. A paid summer camp kind of thing. They do quilling, paper craft, basic sewing and knitting.

So between lunch and 3.00PM……

<I am at work>: 25 phone calls in 90 min, ‘Amma, when are you coming?’ is running in loop.

<I come back home>: ‘Yay! Amma!’

Amma can we eat chocolate?

No.

Can we eat chocolate biscuit?

No.

Can we eat regular biscuit?

No.

Can we go out and eat dinner?

No.

Can you make special dinner?

No.

Can we call out friends over?

If you finish your snack, we can go and play in the park/pool with all your friends. Lets clean up before that.

No(note role reversal)

Finish your lassi.

No.

Finish your fruit.

No.

Get you hair combed.

No.

After a serious glaring from me, child #2 asks me, ‘Amma, even if we make you mad, why can’t you keep smiling?’

The answer to this complicated question can be unlocked only when she has children, me thinks.

But all this aside, its the vocabulary that drives me nuts… *rolling eyes*


“Amma I finished the book full-to-full” =>completed reading.

“Amma, in teacher’s class I did stitching full-to-full” => the whole time

“Amma I ate full-to-full and I am full ” =>  finished what was put on their plate.

Note how ‘appa’ is no where in the picture, thank you very much.