For a long time now, I've harboured the idea of doing a blog post series where each year I ask Xena some 'serious' adult-level questions and record her answers and over the years I see how her answers change, showing the evolution of her thought process. And I thought I'd label the series 'Xena isi ka naam hai' -- a joke my dad has been cracking since forever! (Since 2011, to be precise.)
Obviously, to embark on a project like this, you need your child to be of a certain age. First, I thought I'd start when she turned five, but she didn't seem too keen so I dropped the idea. The last thing I wanted was it to become a tedious chore for her. Now that she's turned six, I thought of trying it out and hey, this time, she really seemed to like this 'fun game'!
I was in the kitchen and she was at the dining table playing with her toys and chatting with me. As we talked, like a court stenographer, I was furiously typing on my iPad, every word she was uttering. (I realised it was too much for me to remember and type later, and I wanted to capture every 'hmm...', and 'oh' and 'hee hee'.)
We had the coolest Q and A session ever. Here it is, all the gyaan, straight from the 6-year-old horse's mouth.
Q: Why are some people in the world sad?
A: Because their daddy is away.
Q: Why are some people in the world happy?
A: Because their daddy has come back.
Q: How much money should a person have?
A: Oh, that's an easy question. (thinks) No, I mean it's a tricky question. Ok let me think. I know, I know! 200 dollars. Mama, I will also tell you how many notes and coins, ok? (thinks) Each person should have ten note monies (sic) and... 48 coins.
Q: At what age should a person get a mobile phone?
A: 28 or 29 or 30.
Q: At what age should a person get married?
A: 30 or 29.
Q: Is it ok if someone doesn't want to get married?
A: Yup.
Q: Is it ok if a man wants to marry a man, or a woman wants to marry a woman?
A: That's a funny question. Hee hee!
Q: But they love each other and want to get married... can they?
A: Hmmm.... Yup.
Q: How many friends does a person need?
A: 11 to 13.
Q: Why do we need so many friends?
A: To have swim class with, play dates with and to go out with.
Q: Why do some people have cars and others don't?
A: Because I think some people like cars. And others think that it is too difficult to drive a car or they don't know how to drive a car.
Q: What should you do when you feel lonely?
A: Hug your mommy or your daddy if they are there. If only mommy is there, then you hug her. Then roll around the bed.
Q: What if no one is there?
A: Be sad and start crying?
Q: What does a person need to be happy?
A: Hugs, cuddles and squashes.
Q: What are squashes?
A: I'll tell you all three, ok? Hug is like a BIG hug... like this (demonstrates), cuddle is like a small one, and a squash is when you're sleeping next to me and I snuggle up to you and squash you.
Q: Are you a happy person?
A: I am medium.
Q: What does that mean?
A: That means both sad and happy.
Q: Why sad?
A: Because my daddy is not here.
Q: And why happy?
A: Because my daddy is coming back.
Obviously, to embark on a project like this, you need your child to be of a certain age. First, I thought I'd start when she turned five, but she didn't seem too keen so I dropped the idea. The last thing I wanted was it to become a tedious chore for her. Now that she's turned six, I thought of trying it out and hey, this time, she really seemed to like this 'fun game'!
I was in the kitchen and she was at the dining table playing with her toys and chatting with me. As we talked, like a court stenographer, I was furiously typing on my iPad, every word she was uttering. (I realised it was too much for me to remember and type later, and I wanted to capture every 'hmm...', and 'oh' and 'hee hee'.)
We had the coolest Q and A session ever. Here it is, all the gyaan, straight from the 6-year-old horse's mouth.
Q: Why are some people in the world sad?
A: Because their daddy is away.
Q: Why are some people in the world happy?
A: Because their daddy has come back.
Q: How much money should a person have?
A: Oh, that's an easy question. (thinks) No, I mean it's a tricky question. Ok let me think. I know, I know! 200 dollars. Mama, I will also tell you how many notes and coins, ok? (thinks) Each person should have ten note monies (sic) and... 48 coins.
Q: At what age should a person get a mobile phone?
A: 28 or 29 or 30.
Q: At what age should a person get married?
A: 30 or 29.
Q: Is it ok if someone doesn't want to get married?
A: Yup.
Q: Is it ok if a man wants to marry a man, or a woman wants to marry a woman?
A: That's a funny question. Hee hee!
Q: But they love each other and want to get married... can they?
A: Hmmm.... Yup.
Q: How many friends does a person need?
A: 11 to 13.
Q: Why do we need so many friends?
A: To have swim class with, play dates with and to go out with.
Q: Why do some people have cars and others don't?
A: Because I think some people like cars. And others think that it is too difficult to drive a car or they don't know how to drive a car.
Q: What should you do when you feel lonely?
A: Hug your mommy or your daddy if they are there. If only mommy is there, then you hug her. Then roll around the bed.
Q: What if no one is there?
A: Be sad and start crying?
Q: What does a person need to be happy?
A: Hugs, cuddles and squashes.
Q: What are squashes?
A: I'll tell you all three, ok? Hug is like a BIG hug... like this (demonstrates), cuddle is like a small one, and a squash is when you're sleeping next to me and I snuggle up to you and squash you.
Q: Are you a happy person?
A: I am medium.
Q: What does that mean?
A: That means both sad and happy.
Q: Why sad?
A: Because my daddy is not here.
Q: And why happy?
A: Because my daddy is coming back.
11 comments:
Pakka dad's girl :)
Because Mom is always there, she is taken for granted.
She is daddy's girl because she can not think about being away from mom.
But the best answer is cry when alone! I still do it sometimes when alone! Haha, Just something nobody else can see. I pick my courage together and start doing something constructive. I guess, Xena would find her own mechanism :) It took me 28 years to find mine! Hahaha.
Big 🤗s & 😘s for the warrior princess.
Brought tears of laughter and joy to our morning coffee chat 🙂
Xena gyaan param gyaan!
:)
Request from the audience: "Which dinosaur would you want to be?"
Hey Sayesha, when you were naming Xena, did you keep The blogging challenge in mind and this difficult X letter. Haha
I wrote about getting xeroxed during engineering
Xeroxed
shaktii,
Totally! :)
The Gardener,
Yes, mommy needs to take off on a solo vacation soon! :P
Bubblegum,
Hehehe... I didn't know that about you! :)
Adi,
Thanks! :)
Arun,
Xena's answer: I'll be Dippy the diplodocus. :D
Charan,
LOL! Actually I got married only for this purpose. That's how devoted I am to the blogathon. :D
What a brilliant idea, to see how your child's thinking changes over time! I am going to make a note of this and try it out when I have mine. :)
Loved every post of yours in this blogging challenge. An ardent follower, but comment rarely, due to all the checks blogspot has for a WordPress user. :P
thelilvoicespeaks,
Thanks so much! :)
PS: Yes, I still don't know how to manage the comments setting to make it easier for people to comment, without getting spam comment! :(
This is such a brilliant idea, completely agree with @thelilvoicespeaks. Genius in its simplicity. And me too an ardent follower, but comment rarely, due to not knowing after how many times i say 'Brilliant!' you will stop taking me seriously :D
How did I miss this sheer piece of brilliance? Was going thru ur archives randomly and stumbled upon this.
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