tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69177490258718988282024-02-06T22:16:55.161-08:00Flights of FancyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger202125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-30914920697001486602016-04-05T01:08:00.001-07:002016-04-05T01:34:30.779-07:00Unlocking my DNA
We were in the midst of a lingering hug, when Raghav said this to me:
"Wasn't that such a beautiful conversation? Maybe you should write about it and post it on your blog."
And as my lips soaked in the softness of his cheeks, we both smiled, and I asked:
"Why do you feel that? Why do you want me to write about it?"
"So that more people....those who read it, would come to know about the Gene KeysUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-60607746894684010962015-11-18T22:38:00.000-08:002015-11-18T22:38:32.321-08:00Walking Home
Sometime, perhaps a week ago, I managed to coax Raghav to get out of the house with me.....just a few errands around our complex...it's been long since he stepped out of the house just like that with me...The wind was strong that day, catching us in the gap between the two tall buildings, pushing us and whisking us. We smiled....we laughed....and held hands as we walked through it, with it, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-23838648483711884972015-09-25T10:09:00.001-07:002015-09-25T10:09:22.216-07:00Of Clouds, Storms and Peace
Another conversation (that will carry on) with Raghav while watching one of his games together....
R: I don't know why there is just no peace in Middle Earth! Everywhere you go there is only evil and fighting...no peace!
Me: What is peace? Where do you think you'll find it?
R: Peace I think is when there is no fighting....also, you know that
feeling when someone does or keeps saying Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-88933043574477135052015-09-24T21:26:00.000-07:002015-09-24T21:26:34.533-07:00Of Sauron, Crows and Twitter Spies!
Raghav was showing me his progress in one of the games he is playing -
Lego - The Lord of the Rings. At one point, some giant black birds
(crows) suddenly appear out of nowhere, and perch on the rock face of
the mountains, watching Aragorn, Frodo, Sam and Gandalf...what they were
up to. The conversation that ensued had me in splits and wonder! :)
Raghav: "Oh gosh! Now don't tell me Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-58104458257916978332015-09-10T21:20:00.002-07:002015-09-10T21:20:52.801-07:00A Child is the Father of Man
Hurt and wounded last night, with no other adult around to keep me warm, I looked to the only human being I knew, close to me.....my dear son. As I cried my heart out and yearned for the warmth of human skin against mine, I whispered to my son softly:"Pappa...I need a hug....a long hug.....will you give it to me?"
He was busy playing Minecraft, but he dropped everything he was doing, smiled Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-60799752156448014842015-07-27T07:22:00.001-07:002015-07-27T07:25:10.824-07:00Don't pack your worries, pack your trust
We were in the car this morning, on our way to my parents' house for the ceremony to be done at the end of the first month after my father's passing. Raghav usually wakes up very late in the morning and today I had to wake him up much earlier than usual. He was a bit grumpy about that and took time to get ready.
Since we had no time to talk about the menu for the day and so on, I had Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-53798759411110289042015-06-14T23:46:00.000-07:002015-06-14T23:49:03.694-07:00Are we 'filled with anger' or 'angry'?
After being witness to a sudden bout of anger from his father, and
giving each other the space to breathe and simply be, yesterday I got
talking to Raghav again.
I asked him how he felt about it. This is what he had to say...
R: "Appa is a man filled with anger. He should be a member of the Red Lanterns!" :)
Me: "What are the Red Lanterns?"
R: "They are part of the Lego Batman app. They areUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-2939376030504312082015-05-27T08:41:00.002-07:002015-05-27T08:41:41.048-07:00Rules
Of late, we have been having some concerns over Raghav's use of the
iPad and had some long conversations with him on that, letting him know
how we felt about some things and why we were feeling that way. He
listened long and hard, agreed with many points raised and then decided
to experiment with some rules, which he decided to make for himself, all
on his own. We asked him to make rules Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-47986030347016705862015-05-14T02:21:00.000-07:002015-05-14T02:21:43.275-07:00Freedom
The other day, we were somewhere and my son wanted us to buy him
something which he really wanted. And we did not because it was beyond
our budget. We explained our stance to him. He was still very upset and
angry. For a long time he did not want to see us or talk to us. Then
later, on his own, he said that he was ready to talk about it.
I
asked him how he was feeling, and he said that heUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-61207991288188468282015-05-13T08:57:00.000-07:002015-05-13T08:57:10.603-07:00The Caterpillar
We found a caterpillar this morning while I was washing the cluster
beans I had bought yesterday. Raghav wanted to make him a home and so
moved him to a pot in our balcony, which houses the green chilli plants. :) I am loving the running commentary that he has been giving me ever since :)
"I wonder if he will like the chilli plant....what if he eats the
chilli by mistake because it is green,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-12293875869999838452015-05-05T12:39:00.002-07:002015-05-05T12:39:48.353-07:00I am a Non- non-vegetarian!
Raghav just got back after an evening out with his dad, who went to meet and have dinner with his friends.
R: Do you know what happened there? Me: Tell me... R: Some of them ordered fish and chicken! Me: Hmmm...so what happened? How did you feel?
R: Well, I was terrified! I mean I am completely non-non-vegetarian! I
just wanted to get up and run away somewhere. But obviously I couldn't.
So IUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-90791321763073812402015-04-30T23:15:00.002-07:002015-04-30T23:19:50.818-07:00Don't go by looks!
I knew from the way he asked me a question this morning, that things were juicing up for a rich, sweet conversation :)
"Amma, do you remember the day when I had only 'vadaams' the whole day, and you even called up appa and told him how worried you were because you did not know what to do because I was not wanting to eat anything else?"
(For those who don't know, 'vadaams' are like rice pappads, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-1796470005383291162015-04-30T21:28:00.001-07:002015-05-13T08:25:25.831-07:00Anger, Forgiveness and Compassion
A few days ago, Raghav asked me what compassion meant, and I told him how I didn't know and was still figuring it out for myself. That word has been on my mind ever since, flitting in and out like a butterfly, as I watched it come and go. And I was reminded of a beautiful para that I read a few days ago, on the website of a learning space, that stayed with me just like this little 'Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-40843434009455837922015-04-28T21:02:00.000-07:002015-04-29T21:14:46.137-07:00Seeing Reality Through The Eyes of a Child
There were some questions bubbling inside me, which I wanted to ask and share with Raghav today, just to find out his perspective, and open my eyes out to other ways of seeing.
I was talking to him about the earthquake in Nepal and how many people
had died and how many things were simply just rubble now. And then, I
asked him what he felt about it, and what he had to say. Here is what he
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-9932279152655675212015-04-21T02:57:00.000-07:002015-04-21T20:33:11.793-07:00I Have to Show My Anger
Two days ago, Raghav and A were playing together, after their first experience of a sleepover. Raghav had built one of the characters from the movie 'Planes' with Lego and A had taken off a few pieces from it for something, unknowingly. Raghav was very upset about that. It was a special plane and he did not want it broken.
He somehow could not say what he felt to A and so wanted me to tell A Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-48314448668597122762015-04-19T22:58:00.000-07:002015-04-18T23:00:38.308-07:00Physical Self Assessment
Some conversations from this morning....
R: Why is it that when I play darts, I rarely get to hit the target, how much ever I try? But when I am just casually throwing something, I most often hit my target?
Me: Why do you think it is so?
R: Maybe because when I am playing darts, I think too much about the target and wanting to win or score points. But when I am just casually throwing Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-84155122528606720862015-04-15T02:02:00.001-07:002015-04-15T02:05:02.407-07:00Yes....now look!
Yesterday we were at the 'Shell Museum' and small aquarium at Mahabalipuram, with our friend and his son. While they were still engrossed in the shells, Raghav, who was more interested in the aquarium and feeding the fish, pulled me away there.
He was amazed at the 'collection', and was going 'wow' every few minutes, as he moved from one tank to another, admiring each fish's colours, shape and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-19975480011678160832015-04-12T07:52:00.000-07:002015-04-15T01:00:13.752-07:00Mistakes - that's how we learn what we already know
Yesterday, I was continuing the conversation I had had with Raghav the other day, about how babies learn. He had mentioned how he thought that babies learned from their mistakes, and not so much from their successes. Here was the conversation that ensued....
Me: So what do you think 'mistakes' are? When and why would you call or think of something as a mistake?
R: I think a mistake is when youUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-9533894727489781242015-04-11T20:54:00.001-07:002015-04-11T20:54:58.296-07:00On Opinions
I was getting the water ready for Raghav's bath this morning. And like he usually does, he relieved himself, washed his hands and went off to dry them out with a towel. And like I usually do, I asked him why he would want to do that, when he was anyway going to wet his whole body, including his hands, just a few seconds later, when he was going to have a bath! Usually, he would just smile to me Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-39015465947993515952015-04-11T10:13:00.002-07:002015-04-11T10:13:10.426-07:00When and how does learning happen?
More than a year ago (may
even be more), Raghav came up with this desire of wanting to share what
he had gleaned and learned about the planets, the solar system, and the
earth, with his friends and other interested adults (age no bar!), in
the form of a talk. We discussed many ideas and he finally decided that
he wanted to do a PowerPoint presentation with pictures, videos etc.
included inUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-40296302836801666762015-04-09T11:10:00.001-07:002015-04-09T11:24:08.403-07:00How Do Babies Learn?
Ever since my sister and her family left a few months ago, after a few weeks of being here with us, Raghav has had this fascination for babies and how they learn. For the first time, he showed a keen interest in babies, read up a little before they arrived, and absolutely enjoyed playing with his three month old little brother while he was here. And after that, off and on, he has been talking Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-38284384678398009852015-03-29T07:30:00.002-07:002015-03-29T09:04:51.861-07:00The Day Lisa Came Home.....With a Little Doggy Love....
For his birthday, many years ago, my parents thought Raghav would love to have a puppy and got him a little dachshund. But he didn't want her. He was too scared then of dogs, and would run away or climb onto a chair or bed and not get off at all. And so we had to decline that beautiful gift. Tanya is now growing up and being cared for in my parents' house. Whenever Raghav goes there, he wants Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-53877646828417386932015-03-27T20:08:00.001-07:002015-03-27T20:25:07.220-07:00What's Minecraft got to do with Writing and History?
What's Minecraft got to do with writing and history??
Well, what's Minecraft not got to do with something, would be a better question to ask I think!
Yesterday, Raghav called me to show all his new updates in his world in Minecraft - a regular feature that happens every day, or every other day. And I was surprised to see what he had created and his new interest in 'writing'. For a child whose Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-9484009595274737932015-03-16T06:43:00.001-07:002015-03-16T07:14:31.610-07:00On Friendship
Many questions that we were asked early on in our unschooling journey have now either stopped surfacing so much or have taken on a different form. But there is one which seems to fall into the permanent category, because it never seems to go away nor want to take another form :)
Yes, it is the question about social skills and friendship. One that I am kind of tired of answering, but still want Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917749025871898828.post-47371700425154644672015-03-09T00:00:00.000-07:002015-03-08T23:36:56.268-07:00The Things We Do For Love, With Love....
This morning, Raghav posed me a new challenge - he wanted to have Minecraft 'mobs' dosas for breakfast!! Yes, dosas in the shape of mobs from Minecraft.
At first, I told him how I thought that would be impossible for me to do, but he egged me on, saying he would help find pictures for me to copy. I asked if he could draw them out for me.
"But amma, why do you want me to draw? Can't you take a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0