Peachy Presence

Eavesdropping one side of the conversation between Achu boy and his dad.....

( hyper excited ) Acha what are you going to get me from Jaipur?
Get me that car with many wheels to change..
The one you got me last time
Oh that's from Delhi ..then go to Delhi...( with the you-should-know-what-to-do tone )
Sheri Acha then get me those bags they give on the flight
Adhu Madhi ( that's enough)...very generous and pleased
They don't give it to big people?
Fine then make a paper boy and place it on the seat next to you
Yeah! Colour it Acha (For Godsake! Acha doesn't know anything does he!)
Appo avaru nokambol parayum ( so when they look the will say) " Oh there's a baby let me give the bag"...grins at me
Njan peach colour ayikam Acha ( I will send you the peach colour - to colour the face and body)
Then you fix a speaker and let the doll call you "Acha"
Then they will be sure there is a baby with you
Ok Acha?
Bye
:):):)

Win - Win

Itchy's post on the different boardgames she is getting her children to play made me realise that my boy isn't very different either....


Any game - Achu has to win.


Games played:

Cards : Just to drive in 'the bigger' number concept we had a pack of cards and Achu was delighted with this new game. Until one fine day we wanted to drive the 'its ok to lose' concept......that marked the end of card games.

Knots and Crosses : He picked knots then crosses...that's ok...but he picked winning always and never losing...how boring is that!

Snakes and ladders: You guessed right....We get swallowed by snakes and he climbs every ladder.

Joining the dots: Same story ...He does not flare up until the end when all the boxes are counted and we get more boxes than he marked.


Scrabble: He will start where he wants to....he places single letter words!!...replaces letters when he does not 'like' them!!!!! and takes our letters when he needs them....oh please!

Chess: Thought I will just let him know what chess is all about. Drew all the 'charecters' and named them. Achu was very very interested. Then I mentioned about how each one of them move across the board. He was totally into it...until....

Me: This is the Queen. She can move in any direction and take any number of steps. and this is the King he can move only one step at a time in any direction.
Achu : WHAT??????....This is not fair ....itchichi Amma ....yendho amma idhu? ( what is this?)
Me: Huh! what happened?* highly confused*
Achu : King is the most powerful and HE is the one who can move all over...NOT the queen
Me: shock gives way to reasoning...No Achu All the others safe guard the King so that's why they all move around while the King remains safe
Achu: Noway! am not going to agree..poooo ammaaaa
Me: sighhhhhhh!

Remind me to find out how Vishy picked up the game.........
And help me find games that don't require one player to win and another to not win!

Meet the Teacher - Part 2

Achu and I walk into class...
T: Ahaa! ( shakes her head the way I wouldn't want her to) Rohit isn't getting his alphabets right..
Achu swirls, twirls and gives out a shy smile
Me: Well I made him write the alphabets at home and he did well Ma'am
T: That won't do....Amma just get his Assessment book ( she asks the attendant akka)
Me: I had a look at the book Ma'am and made him repeat it and he was ok
( T shakes her head again...and flips through the book  until she gets to the page that caused the whole show)
T: Look more than half wrong...he is not getting it right....please GET a FOUR line book and GET him to SIT EVERYDAY and write all the alphabets from A-Z once...then give him a dictation ...jumble them up ok?

( A slight level of giddiness had set into my brain as the whole episode was reaching THAT stage of getting my poor teeny weeny boy to SIT for a stretch of  'impossible' time (which can range from 1 minute to nearly 3 hrs) EVERYDAY...this I didn't want to happen but might have to happen...I'll tell you why...read )

Me: Ma'am could it be because he lacks concentration or couldn't hear the teacher when the dictation was on? ( Aha! That should get her thinking...hmmm)

A feeble voice from behind rudely interrupted my interpretation...It was T2...The teacher who conducted the dictation. She was the substitute (parent) who was managing Achu's class for the past 2 weeks while his teacher was on vacation

T2: No...Actually Rohit got all the alphabets wrong and I made him sit next to me and write ..I didn't want to help him since I thought it wasn't fair ...being an assessment test....( there goes my case and so Achu AN dI might have to work a bit )
T: See...he HAS to get it right
T2: In class ...when its from the board he is doing good...( hip hip hooray hollered my heart ..that's something positive :)...)
Me:(The weather was cool but sweat pearls settled on my forehead and upper lip for reasons evident) Ok I will do that...Can you do a re-assessment ?
T: ( Sensing my disappointment) Oh That's ok. We can't do another assessment but we don't give marks do we...So it should be fine if he knows how to write that's all.
Me: Can you please test him some time in the coming weeks so we know where he stands?
T: We'll do that. Will do it in December ok?
Me:( Glad,settled with a restrained smile ) Thank You

I nod at T2 and T and leave with a not so comfortable feeling.

Me: Achu miss paranja keta ...let's practise everyday and We'll get Sudha Miss to give you 2 stars instead of 1 what do u say???????
Achu: (Ignoring)
Me: WHAT DO U SAY?OK??????
Achu: hmmmm ok

For the next few weeks
Achu = Achusuto (of the Jackie Chan clan ) , the hopefully obedient disciple
Me = The Tai-chi Master of the lost UKG Nation
To reclaim the title = The master of  Alphabetric Transcription

Wish us luck and a lot more......:D

Double U

Yesterday Achu had dictation at school and he didn't do very well. His teacher sent word that Achu boy needs to get his alphabets right.

Oh don't worry am not worried at all. The boy is five...give him some time. But I just wanted to check if its concentration he lacked or he really didn't know the alphabets. So Achu had night school yesterday with Me as his Teacher.

Me: Ok Children take out your book and pencil and write the letter W
Achu: Amma...oops Miss look I wrote W
Me: Good Boy ...sanjay stop talking and write like Rohit ..Achu smiles...me too :)

Achu: Now tell me Miss why do we call W... Double U when we write Double V
Me: Hmmmmm Actually W is Double U but we write Double V...we can also write Double U..but in school your taught to write Double V ok...Phew!
Achu: Ok .....( thoughtfully)
Me: (Happy achu is happy with the explanation)....Ok next letter P
Achu: So At home we will call W Double V and in school we will call W Double U OK
Me: ( I knew something was coming)....Fine write the next letter P

We will have a detailed talk on the Double UV some sunny sunday baby !

BTW Achu got all the alphabets right. Concentration in class is what my boy needs to work on.

I have been asked to meet the teacher tomorrow....Am quite experienced at it now...let's see how it goes :)

Invincibly Invisible

Two of my blog world friends Niv and Mamma of twins happened to touch on this subject and I thought I should do my bit…..

Achu is known for his acting skills and sometimes....he takes it too far …..

Backdrop 1: Acha is back from office and he spots Achu in the drawing room happily playing.

Suddenly Achu runs behind Acha and screams “Appupa njan evidey illa” (Grandpa I am not here!!). Signals me to remain quiet on his whereabouts and walks behind him shrieking away to glory.

Backdrop 2: We are about to leave for a family function and Achu is asked to get dressed. I leave a kurta and pants on his bed and leave him in his room for his nanny to dress him up.

Achu screams “Amma yenika kurta vendaaaaaaa…idhulaaaaaa” (I don’t want this kurta….I won’t wear it). Silently has a wash, wears the outfit and then keeps shouting “Idhula” ( won’t wear ) with interim giggles while am getting dressed in the other room and HAVE to shout “ Please kutta” , “Please Monnu” and the likes.

Then he walks out of the room mummified by a towel with an evident part of his costume showing “Njan oodupu matilla amma” (I didn’t change my dress). My response “yendhu kutta? Please” (why …please)!!!!!!!!!

Backdrop 3: As a sequel to 2, he slowly slides into the back seat of the car (sure the towel is pulled away or thrown away on the closest sofa/ non-living thing (grrr from ammuma) or floor (growl from ammuma)

The little brat winks at me and convinces me in a highly audible voice “Amma, acha-neduthu parey Achu vanilainnu” ( Amma tell Acha Achu hasn’t come!)  ….You know what happens next don’t you..?

What happens if we don’t have the I-am-totally-surprised look ?

Guarantees recitations of the Itchichi mantra on you until he spots his next prey.

What happens if you want to please him and stay surprised?

You’ve earned yourself a huggy-buggy moment … I'd do anything for that you know.

M never reacts surprised as he thinks we are just making Achu act like a fool. Condolences M for loosing the ‘child’ in you *snigger snigger*

Fireworks at Five

Achu has always been scared of almost everything I am scared of....ranging from
- the lizard behind the showcase
- the cockos that fly....eeeeeeek!
- the long corridor
- the dark 'whatever'!
to the fireworks that go 'Bang'

But now Achu is five and seems to have overcome his fear of almost all of the above and infact greets the lizard, guides the roach ...but still rushes through the corridor and prevents himself from being alone in the dark!...

As far as the Fireworks go here's the scene
M: Achu don't you want crackers this diwali?
Achu: pinneee allathey ( then what? :)...)
M: Yendhakey venam? ( what all do you want?)
Me jumping in to be a side character  in the father son bonding scene...*grin*
Me: Just the normal stuff....sparklers ,flowerpot and chakaram that's all....
M: Adhu madhiya ? ( is that enough?)
Achu: Illa I want the red ones that go 'BANG' as well
M: All Smiles
Me: In Shock...partially glad he's growing up :)...while the other half misses the i-hate-bangs hugmate who hugged me through all the noise last year :( 

So its gonna be a high decibel diwali afterall....get me my ear plugs willya
Happy Diwali Folks.....

Ouch! Bolt from the blue

Haven't been blogging about my lil boy since I have been busy at work and class all through the week. But Achu boy has never stopped suprising us with his instant reactions to the otherwise uninteresting conversations we have.

M and Achu get into the car...
Achu ....swaying side to side and not remaining still
M.... The 'grrrr moment' jus moments away
Achu...sensing his acha's next step
Achu : In an irritated tone "Yendhu cheyane Achu kutta" ( What are you Doing Achu boy?)
Acha looks at me and bursts out laughing...I grin :)

M was at my MIL's whole of last week since she was alone at home and the rest of them had gone to our native. We were discussing about when all of them were returning and when the car should go to pick them from the station while achu was busy playing around....until suddently achu turns and says....
"Ohhhoooo Acha appo inni acha U turn edhithitu veetiva" (So Acha you come back home taking a U turn...since the rest of them have come)

Me and MIL discussing about a cousin. I was telling her how thin ( as in slim) the cousin had become and that she was looking good...suddenly achu pops out of no where and says" Amma I thought you told me being thin was bad...ippomathram thin good innu parayinnu???" ( and now your telling thin is good)...coff !coff!

Updations follow.....