Special observation

Sanjana was watching 'Barney' on TV. It's a character that teaches kids good things like manners, sharing, respect etc.

Barney was telling, or rather, singing, "you are special" to everyone. Sanjana found it necessary to share her newly found knowledge. She said...

"Baba, everyone on TV is special."

Pretending at its best

One day we were making silly animal sounds. I asked Sanjana...

"What does a dog pretending to be a cat sound like?"

Sanjana let out a very carefully thought sound, "woof".

"Sanjana", I asked. "Isn't your dog pretending to be a cat?"

"Yes, Baba", she said. "But it is still a dog."

If you were me

"If you were me, you would be crying"

- Sanjana describing her headache

Already a teenager

"You don't understand my life"

- Sanjana, trying to fight off my attempts to have a conversation

I knew there was something wrong

Sanjana was told about the spinning and rotation of the Earth at school.

That evening she informed me, “Baba, the world is moving and I feel dizzy.”

Make up your mind

“Baba”, Sanjana asked one day. “How much longer before I go to kindergarten?”.

“One hundred days”, I did a bit of rounding.

“A hundred days!”, she exclaimed. “I would be dead by then.”

“Sanjana”, I tried to put the timelines in perspective with the expected lifespan. “A hundred days is nothing.”

“So I will go to kindergarten tomorrow?”, she asked.

“No, Sanjana. Not tomorrow", I said.

She wouldn’t give up. “But you just said that a hundred days is nothing!”.

What wouldn’t I give up for this?

“Baba”, Sanjana shouted while watching the TV. “You have to get me this doll!”.

“No way”, I said. “You want everything you see on TV”.

Sanjana thought for a moment and cut a deal with me.

“Okay, don’t get me everything. Just get me this doll”

You have my word

“Are you going to be good kids?” I was giving some pep talk to the kids on the way to somewhere.

“Yes.”, said both the kids.

“And what if you are not?” I continued.

“If I am not a good kid, you can take six hundred dollars from me.”, assured Sanjana.

“Sanjana, you don’t have six hundred dollars.” I said

“I know”, Sanjana giggled and continued, “that’s why I said it.”

As hungry as it gets

"I am so hungry", said Sahil. Then he added for the full effect, "I am as hungry as Baba".

Leveling the field

One day I was playing chess with Sahil. Sanjana decided that she will be on my side.

“Baba”, she whispered in my ear. “Kill one of Sahil’s chess pieces”.

Sahil was visibly upset. He said, “Baba, you are going to win because Sanjana is helping you.”

After a few moves, I killed one of Sahil’s pawns. Sanjana very proudly announced that she was the brains behind this, upsetting Sahil even more.

In a couple of minutes I had to get up to take care of something. While I was away Sahil had a little talk with Sanjana.

When I came back, I was greeted by both of them with wide grins, sitting on the same side of the chessboard.

“Baba,” they informed me. “Now it’s two of us against you.”

A fitting response

Sanjana was trying to put my headphones on, and it wasn't working. So I told her...

"Sanjana, you need a bigger head"

Now, Sahil is her role model for a big kid. Hence she said

"I need a bigger head? You mean like Sahil?"

Sahil got little annoyed. He thought that she is calling him a 'bighead'.

"So what if my head is big?", he defended. "It fits me fine."

Politically Correct

We were passing by a photo studio. They had proudly displayed some of their best work. One of them was a picture of a baby in the buff.

Sahil looked at the picture and exclaimed, "Look, a big fat butt".

"No, Sahil", Sanjana objected, "You are not supposed to say big or fat".

Explaining the rain cycle

“God squeezes the clouds to make it rain.”

Doing it right

Once Sahil wanted to know who made him the way he is. So I explained, as much as I could to a six year old, about parents and their genes. He basically followed that Uttara and I made him. Then he got a bit annoyed and asked...

"Then why didn't you make me with four arms? That would have been so cool."

It doesn't get easier than that

Once Sahil was teaching Sanjana some trick. Sanjana was not able to grasp it quickly. Sahil got frustrated and said...

"Sanjana, this is so simple. Even Baba can do it."

Just be yourself

"Baba, I wish I were you", Sanjana said one day.

"No, Sanjana!", Sahil rushed to help Sanjana see the flaw. "If you were Baba, you would be the first one to die!"

Dad, be proud

Sanjana: Baba, there are some people that are taller than you. But (don't worry), you are fatter.

Father's day, 2006

The right choice

One day Sanjana made an observation that some fire trucks are red and some are yellow like the school bus. So I asked her...

"Sanjana, when they need to send a fire truck to a school, do you think they send a yellow one?"

"No, Baba.", she said. "They send the one that's closest to the school."

Now, that's what I call funny

While playing with his power-brain yo-yo, Sahil excitedly came running to me and said...

"Baba, Sanjana just asked me if this yo-yo was made from real brains. You must put this in the blog."

You learn something new every day

"Let's go to the dollar shop.", I said to Sanjana.

Sanjana said, with an amazed look on her face...

"You mean they sell money?"

A gentle emergency (and it could have been worse)

On the way to Sahil's basketball practice, we saw an accident. A man was lying motionless next to his bike. There were multiple emergency vehicles and the emergency crew was rushing to him.

After I dropped Sahil, I was coming back the same way. The road was cleared by now. Noticing no signs of what happened before, Sanjana said, in a relieved tone...

"Baba, it looks like they put a band-aid on that man."

It could have been worse

Sahil had also observed the accident and had his own chain of thoughts about it. He had seen how the man was lying on the lawn just next to the road. On the way back from the basketball he said...

"Baba, it's good that he fell on that lawn, right?"

"Yes.", I said, taking notice of the sensitive side of my son.

"Because", Sahil continued, "if he had fallen on the road, it would have blocked the road and we would have been late for the basketball."

Daddy, can you do this for me?

"Baba, the sun is getting in my eyes. Can you move it?"

- Sanjana, from the backseat of the van.

Investing at its best

“I wish I had a dollar”, Sahil said one day. “Then”, he continued, “I will buy myself a job.”

Help me help you

One day Sahil brought a glass of water to Uttara, and bragged about it.

Not to be outdone, Sanjana ran to me and said,

"Baba, quick! Give me a glass of water. I want to bring it to you."

Don't run after the money

Sanjana wanted to sit and watch TV instead of getting ready for school. I told her that even if she doesn't want to go to school, I need to drop her as I can go to work only after that. And I have to go to work because that's how I earn money. We need the money to buy things like TV that she enjoys watching.

So she said, without any inclination of getting up...

"But Baba, we already have a TV."

The rule of the game

Sahil was explaining Sanjana that her blanket is dumb as it has princesses on it, and princesses like to kiss. His blanket is much cooler as it has superheroes.

So I interrupted, "May be the princesses kiss the superheroes".

"No way", Sahil said. "The princesses don't even know the names of the superheroes. And you can't kiss anyone unless you know their name."

Weight watcher

These days Sahil likes to talk about growing up, getting bigger and stronger etc.

One day Uttara was talking to me about my exercise. Sahil heard part of our discussion and was completely amazed. He asked...

"You mean one can lose weight as well?"

The life lessons learned from online games

Sahil, while explaining me part of the 'Maple Story', his favorite online game...

"(Sometimes) monsters look cool. But you have to kill them."

Happy Mother's Day (Sanjana)

Happy Mother's Day (Sahil)

Can't argue with that logic

"I am going to be an artist. It's true because I said it so many times."

(Sanjana, during her monologue about growing up)

And she is fit for the job

Once Sanjana did not do a mini-chore like I asked her to. When I asked her to explain why she didn't do it, she said.

"Because, Baba, I feel like a princess."

The winners

"Baba, if I, Shoumik, Prateek and Neil had a race, who would win?", Sahil asked one day.

"Shoumik.", I said.

"And if you and all their Dads had a race, who would win?", he continued.

"Shoumik's dad.", I answered.

"And what if Aai and the other Moms had a race, who would win?", he went on.

"I don't know.", I didn't venture a guess.

He thought for a moment and answered his own question...

"I know. Nobody! They will just stand there, talking."

Setting expectations

"But Baba, I almost did my best"

(Sahil, trying to argue that he should get full credit for something he didn't finish)

Tastes like...

"It tastes like nothing"

(Sanjana's way of saying something is tasteless)

Other area codes?

Once I was talking to Sahil about phone numbers and area codes. I explained how area codes work, why most people we know have the same area code and that there are people who have different area codes.

He was pretty amazed about one area code not being enough for all the people. And he tried his best to grasp the concept that some people, far away, will need other area codes. Then he said...

"These people with different area codes, they must live in a different dimension."

Getting ready for school

Sanjana wanted to wear her toy jewelry ring one morning. I told her that she can't wear it as she is going to school, not a party.

She waited a moment and explained to me with the patience only she can have...

"But Baba, just one ring is not going to make me pretty."

Do you think this is funny?

We were driving someplace, and I saw a truck with a sticker 'TheWho' on it. So I asked Sahil what was the name of the truck.

"Who", he answered.

So I said, "the truck, what's its name?". Then we played a little of 'who's on first' routine.

In a couple of minutes he was thoroughly bored. He asked me, in a little worried tone, "Baba, you are not going to put this in the blog, are you?".

Lucky ants

"Ants are so lucky. They have to eat only one bite"

(Sahil, when I was trying to talk him into finishing his breakfast)

What's tax?

Sahil recently made his first purchase (a bookmark) from his saved money. That evening he told me -

"Baba, now I know what tax is.", he was talking about sales tax.

"So, what does it mean?", I asked.

He said, "Tax means more money than the price".

Getting dirty

I asked Sajana, "why are your clothes dirty?"

She gave me a complete and natural explanation -

"Because I was having fun."

Taking care of the face

"Baba, you forgot to dry my other face"

(Sanjana, when I wiped only one side of her face after washing)

I need some answers

Once Sahil was asking me questions about heaven and such. Pretty soon he was unsatisfied with my answers and asked...

"Baba, do you have God's phone number?"

Naming the states

Sahil was happily singing the '50 states' song. He started from 'Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas' and when he reached to 'Wyoming', he had a thought.

He asked, "Baba, do you think I am the best in naming the 50 states?"

My answer was short and precise. "No", I said.

His enthusiasm was not affected a bit. He said...

"Baba, I mean except God".

A good look at the rainbow

Me: (while driving) Sanjana, look. A rainbow. Can you see it?

Sanjana: No, Baba. Can you get closer?