lines of wisdom
stories of growing up
silver and grey strands
Shared with Haiku Height/Sep Height Day 3 Silver
Image credit here
Monday 2 September 2013
7 Things My Parents Taught Me
Growing
up like any other child I was taught a lot of things, some were taught forcibly
and some I picked up consciously and unconsciously. A lot of these things are a
part of who I am today. These lessons shaped me, made be better,
made me wiser and may be miser but I am grateful to each and everything that
they taught me. So many lessons from so many chapters of my childhood, each
different but each paved a new way for me. I have tried to summarize a few that
I think are the most important things my parents have taught me.
1)
Independence: Since as long as I can remember, I remember being independent. I don’t
remember anyone telling us to be independent, we were independent. Even during my early childhood
I remember doing all my chores on my own. There were times when I hated doing
it but for some reason I never thought there was anyone else who would do it
for me. And not only physical or financial independence, my parents taught me
to be emotionally free. To not be dependent on anyone for any kind of support
even in my toughest days. I will confess that I am not as independent
emotionally as I was earlier; I tend to depend a lot on my better half but that
is only because I can.
2) Hard
work: There was never a short cut for hard work for me growing up. Any short
cuts were noticed and we were made to do things again. So I learned hard work
and I soon enough realised I was the type who needed hard work. However I do think now that hard work has to
be clubbed with smart work but every time I take a short cut even now I could
sense my mom looking at me with a not so happy look.
3)
Fun: We were a house full of non sense. In our daily life there was so much fun
and drama that we never needed television. There were numerous hours of fun and
games. No restrictions and no forced timetable.
4)
Accountability: We were accountable for our own actions. I remember my mother
checking my bag and asking me to do the homework but that’s about it. I do not
remember her running after me for anything. We were responsible for our things.
I do remember a lot of times not doing the homework and then getting wacked in school but that
taught me to be accountable for my own actions.
5)
Speak your mind: Three of us [Me, My bro and My sis] were always asked to speak
freely, ask questions. Questions were our best friend. We were never scared to
speak our mind in front of anyone. This continues even now, I wear my heart on
my sleeves and I am not scared to speak my mind. It does back fire sometimes but I can’t mince my words and I don’t
see the need also.
6)
Listen: As much as speaking your mind is important, it is also important to hear
others. There are times when you do have to shut up and let others speak. I
have a very patient ear and the credit goes to my parents. We were encouraged
to debate a lot and one of the traits of a good debate is to listen to the
other point of view; with an open ear and mind.
7) Budgeting:
Like every child we also had pocket money; till we grew up.But along with that
we were also exposed to prices of different things. I knew the price of
everything I wanted and I would save and purchase. It not only gave me immense
thrill and pleasure; it also taught me financing and value of money.
These
are a few important things that my parents taught me and I hope I am able to
pass them on to my children. What are the things that you were taught? Which
one affected you most?
I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words 1st - 7th September 2013. This is my second post written for it..
Sunday 1 September 2013
Frogs (Haiku)
chained
to self
lost
in itself
frog
in a well
-------------------------------------------------
with a
green umbrella
in
torrential rain
a toad
sings
Written for Haiku Heights September Height Day 1 Frog
7 Things My Kids Taught Me
First day of a new chapter in my blogging journey, a 7 day
festival dedicated to writing. During these 7 days I will be sharing my
learnings from 7 different roles that I play/have played in my life.
What better way to start than with my children? Being a
parent has been a wonderful and blissful journey. It is one of the most
difficult yet most easy roles I have ever played. I am learning each day as a
parent. There are some things that circumstances have taught me, some things other
parents have taught me but my biggest teachers have been my two little cuddle
puddle, my kids.
1) Be a kid: One of the biggest lessons my children have
taught me is to be a kid. Have fun, enjoy, live each moment, fight and makeup..Be
a kid
2) Unconditional love: No amount of punishment, no threats, no
mean looks could deter away the lovely kisses and hugs of my kids. It doesn’t
matter if I am upset or they are upset. It doesn’t matter whether I did [read
bought] what he asked for, at the end of the day, the day is never over without
a big sloppy kiss and a big bear family hug.
3) Patience: Being a parent takes a lot from you. Specially
traits like personal space and patience. I do lose patience quite a lot but I
am also surprised how much I can ignore stained walls, toppled milk glasses,
dirty clothes and illogical antics. I never thought I was made for this but
here I am smiling and cleaning away to glory.
4) Be kind: My elder one is one of the kindest souls I have
ever met. He has taught me this virtue. He doesn’t differentiate; he is kind
towards me and towards the household help also. He loves hugging. He hugs
everyone he meets, even our building’s sweeper [Not kidding]. Since sweeper
knows this, he cleans himself and waits for my son when he goes to school. That
one hug brightens his face like a big huge diwali lantern.
5) Smile more: Absence of smile in our house is always taken
as a frown. It doesn’t matter if you were absently looking at the wall and
thinking but if you don’t smile, it is assumed that you are upset. So we all
smile...a lot. And it does brings in a lot of positive energy in our house. We
are a loud loud house with lots of giggles and laughs.
6) Let go: I have learnt to forgive, forget and let go. This is a very simple virtue but something very common in all
the children. It has simplified my life. I have learnt letting go is one
of hardest things to do but once you learn to do it; it gives you wings.
7) Cooking: Last but not the least I have taken up cooking big
time now because my elder son is a big foodie and I do not want him to eat
out a lot. Hence I am learning almost everything under the sun for him and enjoying it also.
These were a few things that my kids have taught me. I will be glad if you can share with me the things your children have taught you [If you are a parent] and if you are not a parent, then things that you think you have learnt from kids around you.
I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words 1st - 7th September 2013. This is my first post written for it..
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