Disclaimer-This post does not talk about creating awareness of any kind in the minds of kids .It also says nothing about real awakening of any sort.It is only about the very mundane aspect of leaving the bed at an unearthly our to go to school every single day for at least fourteen years of your life.Any coincidence of any kind is purely not unintentional because that is how all kids are, or so I am told ( by my kids ).
Life has been difficult in my case with Cookie leaving her teens a few days back and Muffin entering his teens at almost the same time.Parenting teens can be a daunting task and I have poured about my times with teens here before.No credit points to myself for keeping a gap of seven years between kids.What was I thinking if at all I was!!By the time I am through with their teen age , I will be on the threshold of my old age .
I love all kids....
I love kids if they are mine...
I love kids more if they are sleeping...
I do not feel the same when I have to wake up kids..
Things are more complicated for me because I keep late nights ,reading,studying , writing or gossiping with Hobbs ( men do gossip and whoever says they do not, is lying ) So the sleep time is flexi but wake up time has to be precise or else things come to a standstill .Alarms are a must for for people like me who are not born with a functional built in body-clock-cum-alarm.Hobbs is gifted that way but he does not like sharing his gifts so I have to heavily depend on external alarms.To help us cope with everything in-time,all the other clocks are deliberately adjusted ahead of time.This is the only way to manage time .
courtesy-Google images
The sequence of events for me ,first alarm---->;snooze---->; Blackberry-ping to the kids------>; second alarm----->;leave the bed----->;stumble down to kids bedroom---->;shut the ac , put on the lights ---->;hug and kiss sleeping beauties.
The sequence of events for kids ,ignore ping from mom--->;pull sheets closer---->;tuck in tight to cover all body parts especially the cheeks to avoid early morning wet kiss from mom--->;make enough room for mom to hug without making it obvious.A warm hug is welcome but a kiss is not.Since I like to follow my heart, I steal the moment (plus, it works as a daily dose of energizer for me :p).
Pinging merely conditions their subconscious mind and prepares them for the sequence of events but does nothing to the actual process of waking them up.Actual process starts with the next phase of action which I call 'shake up kids'.This starts as a gentle nudge and ends at that on most days .Since cookie is in college and considers bunking as her birthright ,nudging may not be enough when she has intentions of bunking.On such days what I hear is a feeble mumble "there is nothing important today and plus I am not well mom!!" A mother has to be extremely quick with her next POA and in such situations it demands remove covers, forehead-check,neck-check (for fever),and declare " you are fit to resume duties" .A forced feeble groan escapes followed by lot of sighs...but all are to be ignored.
After the sickness issue is resolved you see cute index fingers raised to plead for "just oneeee more minute mom ,promise, laaasst ..'' I have to kill my soft motherly instincts at this point to avoid raising uneducated kids.My tone changes steadily in sharpness and pitch as I call out their names alternately.I am so bloody habituated to this routine that I sometimes do this on Sundays and holidays too.Thankfully no one is up early on those days so it is still a secret well kept.
Earlier when they were younger ,I had this additional job of knocking on the bathroom doors every five minutes to make sure they were doing what they were supposed to do inside a bathroom.They used to keep the water running in the bath while they caught a few extra winks sitting on the pot :D:D.That phase is over and done with now .Small mercies!!
Once they are dressed and ready you feel like borrowing their energy and enthusiasm from them.Leaving behind a trail of things,they are out of the house in a jiffy.I walk behind and wait till the lift door shuts noisily.I make myself a cuppa chai and settle down for some uninterrupted me-time at leisure with the morning papers.Another day beckons...
Life has been difficult in my case with Cookie leaving her teens a few days back and Muffin entering his teens at almost the same time.Parenting teens can be a daunting task and I have poured about my times with teens here before.No credit points to myself for keeping a gap of seven years between kids.What was I thinking if at all I was!!By the time I am through with their teen age , I will be on the threshold of my old age .
I love all kids....
I love kids if they are mine...
I love kids more if they are sleeping...
I do not feel the same when I have to wake up kids..
Things are more complicated for me because I keep late nights ,reading,studying , writing or gossiping with Hobbs ( men do gossip and whoever says they do not, is lying ) So the sleep time is flexi but wake up time has to be precise or else things come to a standstill .Alarms are a must for for people like me who are not born with a functional built in body-clock-cum-alarm.Hobbs is gifted that way but he does not like sharing his gifts so I have to heavily depend on external alarms.To help us cope with everything in-time,all the other clocks are deliberately adjusted ahead of time.This is the only way to manage time .
The sequence of events for me ,first alarm---->;snooze---->; Blackberry-ping to the kids------>; second alarm----->;leave the bed----->;stumble down to kids bedroom---->;shut the ac , put on the lights ---->;hug and kiss sleeping beauties.
The sequence of events for kids ,ignore ping from mom--->;pull sheets closer---->;tuck in tight to cover all body parts especially the cheeks to avoid early morning wet kiss from mom--->;make enough room for mom to hug without making it obvious.A warm hug is welcome but a kiss is not.Since I like to follow my heart, I steal the moment (plus, it works as a daily dose of energizer for me :p).
Pinging merely conditions their subconscious mind and prepares them for the sequence of events but does nothing to the actual process of waking them up.Actual process starts with the next phase of action which I call 'shake up kids'.This starts as a gentle nudge and ends at that on most days .Since cookie is in college and considers bunking as her birthright ,nudging may not be enough when she has intentions of bunking.On such days what I hear is a feeble mumble "there is nothing important today and plus I am not well mom!!" A mother has to be extremely quick with her next POA and in such situations it demands remove covers, forehead-check,neck-check (for fever),and declare " you are fit to resume duties" .A forced feeble groan escapes followed by lot of sighs...but all are to be ignored.
After the sickness issue is resolved you see cute index fingers raised to plead for "just oneeee more minute mom ,promise, laaasst ..'' I have to kill my soft motherly instincts at this point to avoid raising uneducated kids.My tone changes steadily in sharpness and pitch as I call out their names alternately.I am so bloody habituated to this routine that I sometimes do this on Sundays and holidays too.Thankfully no one is up early on those days so it is still a secret well kept.
Earlier when they were younger ,I had this additional job of knocking on the bathroom doors every five minutes to make sure they were doing what they were supposed to do inside a bathroom.They used to keep the water running in the bath while they caught a few extra winks sitting on the pot :D:D.That phase is over and done with now .Small mercies!!
Once they are dressed and ready you feel like borrowing their energy and enthusiasm from them.Leaving behind a trail of things,they are out of the house in a jiffy.I walk behind and wait till the lift door shuts noisily.I make myself a cuppa chai and settle down for some uninterrupted me-time at leisure with the morning papers.Another day beckons...
Charming post.
ReplyDeleteRevived old memories.
Glad now to have outdgrown all this.
Regards
GV
PS
I had subscribed to receive new posts from you by email.
But I didn't receive an email alert about this post.
Thank you Vishwanathji.Email alerts take some time ,tell me if you are not getting any at all.
ReplyDeleteYes, I got it this morning.
ReplyDeleteBut, like dosas, I prefer hot alerts.
IHM's alerts reach me within minutes of her posting.
Yours and those of some others take a whole day.
Wonder why.
Deprives me of the chance to be the first to comment, or at least an early bird.
Regards
GV