by providence.
**
it’s the weekend. the mmmim wanted to entertain some colleagues, who have been touring Malaysia. and the mmmim offered them a choice…
between
1. a two-hour drive one way and an evening full of sights
2. a one-hour drive one way and a two-hour forest trek .
(“let’s all go. let firstborn miss his paatu class, for one day, ” he tells me.)
I am three words into my lecture. quoting from the handbook of parenting section 24 (b) appendix (iv) , which is actually a sermon on the non-cutting of paatu class.
I can be polite and well-mannered for more than 13 minutes and 8 seconds, because these are Guests From His Office. So hey. it’s not about me.
It’s really about firstborn’s paatu class.
It’s not about the mmmim who likes to go on an athithi-devo-bhava-overdrive. and is determined to show most guests ‘KL in 8 hours’. And bloody WANTS me to tag along.
He is unfazed at the prospect of unrelenting car nausea (baby param) and and 235.45 repetitions of “are-we-home-yet” (firstborn).
Just then providence leans across…
and the guests call the mmmim to say, “hey. it’s ok. we’d rather chill in our hotel this evening.”
Twopointthree kids, sixpointsix ideas on raising them 
Start driving with an ipod stuck firmly in your ears.
Hand him baby param n Fb in the back seat..
or
do what I do.. Insist on a driver driven car and sit at the front seat because You NEEEEED the AC to be on full blast.. and ask hubby to sit in the back seat with kids.. Ahhh. Bliss.
option a. have to grab that.
after the morning scavenging( cant call it shopping when you have to dig so deep to find a shirt) , stamping on people’s foot to find the toddler and so on , the husband gave me one look and he knew that his dinner consisted of saravana bhavan dosas 😉 and you were ready to entertain ….total respect.
you have to backspace that total respect bit.
this event happened last weekend. NOT after the morning scavenging ( i once lost baby param on one such sogo-day!) did you find nice stuff for the toddler? i
Errr..forgive my ignorance, but what is this paatu?
paatu = music
carnatic music
Backseat: Urs truly and squirmy baby K2 (last born) and K1(First born).All offers of great view from the first seat rejected by K1 because he will sit ONLY where Amma and baby K2 are there. Baby K2 was born standing.He is not ur content to sit on amma’s lap and enjoy the sight. No sir. I will stand and drool and drool and then drool some more …(standing ofcourse includes a 360 degree shift every 30 secs…)
ANd K1 ofcourse is curiosity incarnated….the dreaded “why”…
“why did the bus honk?”
“becuz the auto crossed its path”
“why did the auto cross its path?”
“becuz…the auto is going someplace”
“why is the auto going someplace?”
“err..someplace is actually home..its actually going home”
“why is it going home?”
…..and on and on and on…
and ofcourse K1 will occasionally take a swipe at K2 just becuz he happens to be there….
travelling in the city taken to new heights….(and husband complains about driving int he city…grrrrrrrrr)
i hear you sister.
i totally hear you…
Hahaha… I certainly feel for you, Mim. I’ve been in that posish and did NOT like it although I had to be gracious. Not sure how well that came across, given that I wanted to be home in peace and quiet, reading a book 🙂
entertaining ppl from the mmmim’s workplace gets to me…
i am always super aware that i have uttered something like ” My children has breakfast at 8.30 …” or some silly grammatical irregularity.
Do they all speak perfectly or what? 🙂
i’ve already created them into monsters, shyam.
i dislike em before i’ve met them.
I have hair raising guest stories… 3 in all, one was a cousin’s friend. We didn’t know them at all, wanted to stay with us for 10 days and called us after they got to our town and said, we’re on our way to your house while DH and I were, you guessed it on the way to work.
The rest I’m doing a post on, not sure, the comments section will hold all my angst and ire 😦
@meera : it is for ppl like them that we need to practice the metallic “please check the number you have dialed. Neengal dial seidha ennai dhayavu seidhu seri paarkavum” 😀
@mim : that was not a chaste peck on the cheek. providence just gave you a french kiss, me thinks.
@smartassbride: Ah, if only I could summon your quick thinking or quit answering the phone….altogether… life would be infinitely better. On an aside, to be able to say that line successfully in English takes acting skills I do not possess, to do so in Tamizh…. the less said the better 😦
@abi: felt v. unusual. usually these official guests want to go on 5 hour drives and seven hour treks.
omg. pls do a post… angst and ire a good post doth make
http://meeraganesh.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/atithi-devo-bhava/
err..am like the mmmim. Like having ppl over and showing them around.
ps: long time lurker here.
acg thank you for saying hello.
but grr for being like the mmmim
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Providence needs a kiss back for this act of mercy!