It’s 8.30 p.m. on a school night.
Gy has finished her dinner,brushed her teeth and headed off to her room. An hour earlier she’d prepped everything for school the next morning- her uniform was all laid out and her bags were packed, pencils sharpened to their point.
Wiping the kitchen counter down, I pause for a second and cock my ear to listen for the sound of the light switch being turned off. Not hearing the click, I head quietly to her room and look in. There she is, seated on the bed, her blankets next to her in disarray and her back propped against a pillow as she reads her book borrowed from the library: J.K. Rowling- the wizard behind Harry Potter.
Gy has finished her dinner,brushed her teeth and headed off to her room. An hour earlier she’d prepped everything for school the next morning- her uniform was all laid out and her bags were packed, pencils sharpened to their point.
Wiping the kitchen counter down, I pause for a second and cock my ear to listen for the sound of the light switch being turned off. Not hearing the click, I head quietly to her room and look in. There she is, seated on the bed, her blankets next to her in disarray and her back propped against a pillow as she reads her book borrowed from the library: J.K. Rowling- the wizard behind Harry Potter.
Standing there, I debate between telling her to go to sleep and finishing my chores and then make my decision. Heading to my room, I pick up my copy of Thrive and head back to her room. Nudging her on the shoulder, I ask her to scoot over and with a delighted and surprised expression, she complies. Deftly, she places a pillow for my back and then snuggles up to me, her back resting on my shoulder and we both sit and read in silence for the next 15 minutes.
As the smell of little girl and love wafts over my senses I sigh and rest my head on hers and comment, ‘I like this. We should do this often.’
‘I agree’, she nods and goes back to her book.
Watching the curve of her cheek, I see how she has grown up- from a tiny, chubby bundle to this confident, smart kid who has her wits about her, almost all the time. Choking back a sigh, my lips instead say, ‘I am going to miss you so much when you are all grown up.’
Turning and hugging me, she replies with, ‘That’s many many many years away, Amma. Let’s not worry about the future. This is the present. Let’s enjoy these moments. We will think about the future when it becomes the present.’
Yet again, I’m struck by how we appear to switch roles almost seamlessly- she comforting me, while I plod on through life wondering if my actions are the right ones, if I’ll ever be the mother she deserves.
As her head droops a little from the exhaustion of a long day, I close my book and hers too, gently settling her on the pillows, tucking the blanket under her to make sure she’s warm.
And it warms my heart immensely to affirm that these moments- the quiet, unobtrusive, simple, heartwarming ones- these are the moments that really matter.
As the smell of little girl and love wafts over my senses I sigh and rest my head on hers and comment, ‘I like this. We should do this often.’
‘I agree’, she nods and goes back to her book.
Watching the curve of her cheek, I see how she has grown up- from a tiny, chubby bundle to this confident, smart kid who has her wits about her, almost all the time. Choking back a sigh, my lips instead say, ‘I am going to miss you so much when you are all grown up.’
Turning and hugging me, she replies with, ‘That’s many many many years away, Amma. Let’s not worry about the future. This is the present. Let’s enjoy these moments. We will think about the future when it becomes the present.’
Yet again, I’m struck by how we appear to switch roles almost seamlessly- she comforting me, while I plod on through life wondering if my actions are the right ones, if I’ll ever be the mother she deserves.
As her head droops a little from the exhaustion of a long day, I close my book and hers too, gently settling her on the pillows, tucking the blanket under her to make sure she’s warm.
And it warms my heart immensely to affirm that these moments- the quiet, unobtrusive, simple, heartwarming ones- these are the moments that really matter.
Beautiful moments! She's such a lovely girl. I can almost see you both chuckling over a book and tea? when she is older. She continuing to rib and comfort you. 🙂
Aww thank you so so much, Rachna. I know what you mean. Ah tea, if we both developed the same love for it, that would just be perfect. Yes, the ribbing will continue for sure!
Beautiful and poignant vignette Shailaja. Mothers and daughters, oft the roles get exchanged-back and forth.
Thanks Sunila. Yes indeed. Moms and daughters do have this interesting relationship, don't we?
Reading with mom is really a blissful experience. I specially like discussing plots and characters with mom, and 'what-if' theories. And if I have read the book before mom, giving spoilers is my favourite hobby!
Beautiful post, Shailaja 🙂
Ah you would give spoilers trust you! Gy is a tad kinder. She is very excited and wants to discuss but waits for me to finish reading/ watching if I haven't yet. Hope that sustains. Thanks Mithila.
Damn! Gy is so much more profound in her thoughts than I possibly am at this advanced age of mine 😛
Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it 🙂
Not too sure where she gets all this wisdom from at this age, to be honest. I have a strong feeling there's a residue of an old soul in her somewhere. That's the only logical explanation.
i actually imagine the story that you have written in post. beautifully written post. 🙂
Awww!!! Just so much love! I don't know, this madee miss my Mum and Sis…we did this a lot. Silently enjoying each other's company with a book in hand.
Gy is a bundle of joy and intellect. Love to her!
Thank you and welcome to my blog.
Aww thank you so much Aditi 🙂 Moms are the best right? 😉
This is so sweet. My mom doesn't have much time to read for leisure nowadays, but I make sure to narrate everything that I read to her. I'm sure there's nothing like mother-daughter reading sessions! 🙂
Really there isn't anything quite like it, except perhaps watching a movie together 🙂
And, she said so well. A reminder how we adults keep worrying so much about everything.
I can just picture the wonderful warm scene. I think it'll be ever more fun when she's all grown up. I can see you discussing books and films and so much more.
That's so true, right? Man, we worry so much about everything we need to do. Sigh.
Right? I so look forward to that 🙂
Awww..you made the absolute right decision. The chores can wait (heck, they always do) and so can bedtime. Enjoy these moments – they will be the best memories to look back on. 🙂
I feel this more and more everyday, as she grows older 🙂