Gokulashtami

Last year when Rahulee was barely 2 months old and I was at my parents’ place post delivery, I vowed that for the next Gokulashtami (pozachukadandhu – my paati says this word whenever we make big plans for a future event. I think its something like one shouldn’t plan in advance for anything as only the almighty knows what will happen. So its like saying if everything goes on well which we all hope it would, I would do this and that) I would dress up Rahulee like kutty Krishnan and celebrate. Luckily this year Krishna jayanthi fell on a Sunday and I was happy that I didn’t have to take a day off or compromise on the celebrations ‘cos it was a working day. Post lunch, I Instructed Dee to ensure that Rahulee had an uninterrupted second nap session cos if this doesn’t happen, he will get all cranky and grumpy and I thought he wouldn’t let us dress him up. With Rahulee in Dee’s care, I went to a fancy store to pick up a tiara and saandhu (a coloured liquid which can be worn on the forehead instead of a stick-on bindi) to make the Naamam. I plucked a couple of peacock feathers from the hand fan which was there at my parent’s place. After I came home, I started doing the Krishnan paadams (small feet of Lord Krishna). I made a mana kolam and completely surrounded it with small paadams. I then made the paadams from the front door till the Pooja room. The belief is that Lord Krishna will come to our house, accept our offerings and bless us. I got all other stuff ready for the Pooja just in time when Rahul got up. After that Dee and I dressed him in a blue pattu veshti, made him wear all his gold chains (in tiers) and also placed the tiara on his forehead. I was really doubtful about Rahulee keeping this on till the end of Puja. But surprisingly he was being such a sport and wore it till the end of the Pooja. I always thought that since I had a baby boy I wouldn’t have too much fun dressing him up but I was so wrong! Also I guess I never appreciated the concept of Gokulashtami till now. I mean hogging all those batchanams was the main highlight when I was a kid myself. After all, my mom and granny would do most of the kitchen stuff and we would wait till evening to lay our hands on them. But this time when I did the Krishnan padams, it was like doing it for Rahulee. It was like his day – he even touched all the batchanams and tried eating it before the neivedyam but he was the Krishna after all!!! We were all convinced that kutty Krishnan had already come and blessed our family!

Happy Gokulashtami!

Daycare

Leaving rahulee in someone else’s care has always been an issue with me. Having said that, it’s really surprising that I joined work post my delivery and am still at it with full vigor. Can I afford to stay at home (from a financial standpoint)? Definitely yes! Thanks to dee’s pay. But do I really want to? I am not so sure, at least now looks like going to work will be the best option for everyone concerned. Given the fact that last time when I was jobless for almost a year, I screwed up my happiness and pretty much the happiness of people around me. But mangalam maami was the answer to all my worries when I had to join my work post my ML. She suited our criteria (better to leave it at that) and the only thing that I had to be convinced of was that she will take good care of my son just like I had for 6.5 months after he was born. He was the focus of my life for those 6.5 months and I was his’. Of course he did socialize with his grandparents and dad but he knew that I was the one responsible for his hunger, bath, sleep and any other woes that he had. The transition was well planned and executed (thanks to me). I wanted to ensure that the separation was not sudden and he got used to maami slowly and I was gradually moved from the picture for a greater part of the day. First it was for a couple of hours, then increased it to half a day and by the time I had to join office he had spent almost an entire week in her care throughout the day. I had successfully KT’ed all his hunger patterns, his diet, his sleeping habits and just about everything else concerned with Rahul. Day 1 of office I was really calm. I thought I would feel gloomy throughout the day. I had seen some colleagues of mine go through it and I wasn’t sure how I would react. But may be it was the fact that I was at home for almost 7 months and that’s quite unlike me. May be I wanted to come out I don’t know. Yes I was definitely looking forward to the evenings because that I meant I would be with rahulee once again. And just like that we all fell into routines. Rahul was getting used to her and I was doing well at work. My in-laws were in any case around so Maami was not taking care of Rahulee all alone. So I had someone to watch her while she took care of my son. To say that she did a good job is an understatement. She adored rahulee like her own grandson and within a few days grew really close to him. She was by his side at the snap of a finger – whether it was to change his wet diapers or for his next feed, she was there for him anytime he needed her.

But good things don’t last for too long. Maami developed some health issues and we had to have an alternative planned (just in case). True to her nature she informed us promptly so that we could make the necessary arrangements. The day she informed us, I felt like something had hit me hard in the pit of my stomach. I could not believe my own ears. So this is it!!!! Now what are the alternatives? Me quitting my job? Look for another Nanny? Or put him in day care? These questions were going through in my mind and Dee noticing my sullen looks said the most rational thing. “Well it has happened hasn’t it? So let’s check out our alternatives, there is no point in worrying about it”. I don’t know how it comes so naturally to him to think with his brains? I always think with my heart before I even try to use my brain and by that time I would have played a trailer of an emotional drama in my head. I was close to tears……just then we crossed a day care which we used to pass by every day on our way to office. I was holding on to the car window and looking at it till it was out of my sight and the next thing I knew our car was taking a sharp turn. I looked at Dee and he said that he knew how much I wanted to check this place right away and so we might as well do it (I was choking by now). We went inside the crèche and the watchman assisted us to the receptionist who enquired about rahulee and also told us about their place. She gave us the brochures and I wanted to check out the place. But I was asked to come in the evening as some kids might start crying as soon as they see a lady who is of their mother’s age. I understood her plight and decided to have a look at that place in the evening.

But surprisingly I was at peace with myself when I came out. Day care is not new to me. My brother left both his children in day care (in US). He didn’t have an option he said but was also thoroughly convinced of the day care option. The kids had a routine, they had company (people of their same age), they had access to lot of toys (this is not going to be an issue in any case. We can afford all the toys in one single shop if rahulee wanted them), they had fun activities and they were doing something new every day or the other. The weekends were the most challenging in terms of keeping them occupied as they expect the day care environment at home. As Rahulee grows I can feel the challenge myself. It’s no longer just lying around in my lap or hugging him and crushing him to pieces that excite him. It’s his eagerness to explore things. I can no longer keep him confined to a room even till the time he finishes a meal. I can sense his excitement while he looks at kids play cricket and ben10 in our apartment corridors. It’s like he wants to be there, he wants to be them actually. I am not sure if I can really give him that kind of company. I mean yes I can play “throw the ball” for an entire day if he wanted to. It is difficult but yes I can do that for Rahul. But is that what he really wants? May be day care would be a better option for him in terms of his play times and other learning process. I don’t want to deny him of another experience that he might actually like or enjoy. But thankfully Maami’s health issue was not something serious and it was just some general weakness. But this episode made me think about a lot of things. It made me realize that it was okay to leave a kid in day care if he was going to enjoy it. I am not saying I don’t get to benefit out of this. It would mean that I can have a career. But it’s not like I would compromise Rahulee’s childhood just for having a career. If situation warrants and if the situation is Rahulee I would quit my job without another thought regardless of all constraints be it financial or otherwise. This daycare stuff would probably not get approval from the eye-brow raising-so-called-concerned relatives, but really who cares. The only opinion that I care about is dee’s and if he is okay then why not? I mean as a father he would have evaluated the pros and cons of this situation as well and if he thought that his son was not getting good care I think he would rightfully say so.

So finally there is the solution or so I think but I have to wait and see how it works!!!