May Memories & Mayhem- Summer lessons

I am not the summer kind of person. Wait! Before you get me all wrong, let me just make it clearer. I am not the summer heat person. Having spent my growing up years in Bangalore, I am used to summer temperatures not more than 35 degrees centigrade. Before one could even rant about the rising heat, the first showers of summer would lash down and Bangalore would be enveloped in a pleasant chill. There would be freshness to everything, right in the middle of May. But well those were the days! It was only when marriage happened in my life that I came face to face with the actual reality of Indian summers. And being a part of the Armed Forces fraternity, the transfers ensured I saw it all. The harsh dry heat waves of the North, to the humid heat of West Bengal, Mumbai and Kochi, oh well; they sure make me miss the summer months of Bangalore. Summer heat means heat rashes! With schools closing for vacations, the kids were on an all-together high energy level. The heat just didn’t seem to bother them, as they spent the first few weeks cycling around the cantonment and binge on ice cream cones. Much as I was glad to see them enjoy their childhood within safe environs, I was concerned about the afternoon sun glaring back at them. But luckily the heat didn’t get to them. Surprisingly, despite all the protection and staying indoors at most times, it was I who bore the brunt of the sweltering heat. My body broke into a severe heat rash. Moral of the story: The risk of rashes is always there in summer. But it shouldn’t stop you from stepping out and creating memories with your children. So just indulge in that big chocolate cone, not to forget to keep your stock of prickly heat powder ready at hand. The journey is more important than the destination Kids are often more excited about the journey than about reaching their destination, especially if it is done by train. The 15 hour long journey from home to their grandparent’s city was done by train. The kids loaded their backpacks with little games, colours and books. However, they hardly touched any of these on the train and preferred to climb up and down their respective berths. Their excitement could seldom be contained, and their squeals of delight spoke volumes. I was glad that the simple joys of travelling by train still seemed to exist amongst kids, even in this era of gadgets. As the train chugged into the last station, I sensed an element of disappointment on the little ones’ faces. Moral of the story: The journey is always more important than the destination and this applies to every aspect of life. Just let them be For over six months, I had been trying to get my younger one to overcome her inhibitions of putting her head into water and begin swimming. Despite multiple tries she would refuse to put her head into water. Each time I would force her to do it; she would bounce back up with a fit of cough, taking in a whole lot of water. Being the over anxious mom, a little concern crossed my mind if she would ever learn to swim. Our place of stay this vacation came with beautiful pool with a relatively shallow side for kids. I decided to sit back with a book and let the kids’ splash about on their own, instead of being in the pool with them. Not sure if it was me not being in the pool, or if it was the excitement of the new place; the younger one all of a sudden bobbed her head into water on her own. I ran to her in concern, to find her going down on her own without any fear, holding her breath for a good 10 seconds. Moral of the story: Over parenting may be hazardous; it is best to let them be on their own at times. What they manage to learn on their own would take you by surprise! I did crib a lot during the course of the month about the heat. But with May teaching me these valuable lessons, I learnt to stop looking at the heat as a deterrent to the fun the vacation was giving me. Of course I was armed with my prickly heat powder, but somewhere deep down I had begun to accept the fact that we belong to a country which has its share of harsh summers. Nothing can be done about it. I might as well spend my energy creating warm memories for the kids. What did you do this May? Struggled in the sweltering heat? Or managed to overcome it?  Linking with April 2018 Gratitude Circle bloghop at Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles  

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