Role Reversal

Jotting down scenarios where kids were playing ‘me’.

Kids and I come back home on a weekday. We remove our shoes, they place theirs on the shoe stand. But I forget to keep mine. Mannu says – “Mamma, joote stand pe rakha nahi kyu?” I apologize for failing to remember and put my shoes on the stand. And they applaud in chorus “That’s like a good girl”

Tammu spots a small wound on my foot. In a concerned tone she inquires “What happened to you Mamma?” I say “I got an Ooo” (Ooo meaning wound). She affectionately says “Don’t worry Mamma. I’ll rub some Borolin on your Oooo”.

I’m about to refill my oil can by pouring oil from a 1 ltr packet. Tammu comes into the kitchen and says “Careful Mamma!” I said “Yes darling. I’ll watch out and pour”. She warns yet again by moving her index finger - “Agar oil gir gaya, to main bolungi”. Curious me - “Kya bologi?” She said “Gir gaya! Bolungi”

Mannu demands to be given chocolates at dinner time. As the mommy law goes, a child always demands the wrong thing at a wrong time. Goes without saying that I denied. She puts her hands on her hips, bloats up her cheeks, blows up her nostrils, ties up her eyebrows and says “You are making me angry now!!!”

I’m getting their homework done. Tammu feels thirsty. (That’s one of the million things she gets the urge to do when we try to do something related to academics) I ask her to get the water bottle herself. She enters the kitchen to fetch the bottle and I hear her crying loudly after a couple of minutes. I call out to her to come to me. She comes running with her arms wide open shrieking “Mamma…. mamma…” and the next thing I know – She has thrown herself into Mannu’s lap and the mini psuedo mom is brushing her palms over Tammu’s head, consoling her and asking “What happened Taaa….?” Although I was astounded, I was so touched by witnessing the strong bond that they share. By the way, Mannu is Tammu’s back-up mom.

MIL recently left to stay with BIL and family. Abbas drops me to office and kids to school around 9 AM. I present him with a list of things to be bought while heading back and/or stuff to do before leaving home. He comes back home, eats his brunch and leaves for office. Evenings I pick kids up and return home with them at 6:30 PM. One morning I had asked him to get masoor dal as I had run out of it. In the evening, we came back home, I got busy with my chores. And suddenly found my drawing room floor sprinlled with masoor dal all over! I asked them where did they find the packet? They showed a chair. I blabbbered – “Tere baba ko common sense bhi nahi hai. Dal ka packet kitchen mein nahi rakh sakta tha!” while I cleared up the ocean of dal. Next evening, I came back and saw that milk was lying on the kitchen slab. I started murmuring – “Tere baba ka kaam dekho!” As usual Mannu (Daddy’s daughter) came in baffled – “Kya hua mamma? Baba ne kya kiya?” I told her about the milk vessel (RM – your doodh ka patram, lol) Guess what she said?? “Roz Roz kya baba ko scold karne ka?” Me astonished and nagging again “What?? Doodh kharab ho jaata na? Baba ne fridge mein kyu nahi ghusaya?” And she said “Ye mamma ko ghusana chahiye tha” – There, that role was certainly my MIL’s!!! Phew…