What a champion!
The little one’s schedule has been what adults would call ‘punishing’ lately, though I doubt she looks at it like that.
She juggles between three places (and options to eat, sleep, and play): her Aji’s, her Masi’s, and her Mamma’s. She aces all the tests and gives her best at the races she is entered in. She wakes up effortlessly and happy and eats what is cooked at home. She finishes all her daily work (we don’t call it homework since she is being homeschooled) in time with a minimum of fuss and practices her piano and elastic band (for her running gait) without being asked. She is not overly fond of either television or junk food (though she loves to watch YouTube videos with riddles for children, and eat a Filet-O-Fish from McDonald’s once in a while). She does not get into physical fights and has a boatload of ‘BFFs’ and children who want to be friends with her. She shares selflessly and accepts graciously. She treats employees and staff with respect and is open and honest with her parents, telling us everything that happens to her.
Today, her day looked like this:
0500h Reveille at Aji’s place.
0500 to 0545 Brush, dress, have chikki, and drink water and milk
0545h Off to training with Baba bear.
0600 to 0745h Training (today was interval training on the racecourse with 12 others) with Tarkeshwar Athletic Academy.
0755h Home.
0800 to 0840h Breakfast (French toast, courtesy Mamma bear), piano practice (Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star Variation 1).
0845 to 0945h Chess (puzzle solving, how to play an attacking game, and one game against the computer, which she won) with Priyanka Ved.
1000 to 1300h Maths, Hindi, Social Studies for Std III ICSE with Priyanka Bora. Today, it was an hour more than usual, to cover up lost time last month.
1310 to 1340h Mandarin (months and seasons of the year, how to say sorry) with Deepa laoshi.
1340 to 1400h Lunch (matar paneer, rice, moringa dal courtesy Aji).
1400 to 1445h Hindi (हाँजी, नाजी, बन्दर, और शेर की कहानी) with Pramila Gohite.
1445 to 1500h Piano practice (Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star Variation 1).
1500 to 1520h Go and say hello to Mamma bear downstairs and play with Rafa, the Shih Tzu. Do a quick photo session.
And now, she is off, her usual bubbly, laughing, giggling, skipping, chirpy self, to her music lessons, from which she will return only at 1700, after which she will go to the pool with her friends and play outdoors till 1900, whence she shall return, bathe, have her dinner, and pop off to sleep while reading the illustrated ‘Sapiens’ by Harari or ‘Secret Seven’ by Enid Blyton, only to wake up tomorrow at 0500h with a smile on her face, and repeat the day, every weekday.
What a champ!
Where does she find the energy?
What have we done to deserve her?
And how many people will now write just to tell me how unhappy my child is or will be? Sigh!
Will this last? I doubt it. Nothing ever does. But that does not mean we cannot enjoy it while it does.
How long will this fantastical life go on? I have no clue. All I know is at this point, it is perfect.
Is she really as happy as I make out to be? Well, four of her teachers are on Facebook (Priyanka Shingi Bora teaches her Syllabus subjects, Deepa Khaladkarr is her Mandarin tutor, Pramila Gohite is looking after Hindi conversation, and Kushal D Bharatia is introducing her to music). Ask them if they see and interact with a happy, contented child excited and looking forward to learning, or a bored, frustrated robot living her father’s dreams.
Or come with us some morning to the racecourse to speak to her coach and her teammates, or just to watch her train. Or race. Or play a game of chess against her. Or go swimming with her. Or play ‘chor-police’ with her and her friends. Or paint. Or make birthday cards. Or bake a cake with her Masi with Rafa getting in the way and Kymaia giggling away. Or dance to ‘Better when I am dancing’. Or just have a conversation about life as she licks a Natural’s mango ice cream in a waffle cone and asks you uncomfortable questions. I challenge you.
The truth is that there is no way anyone who has not met or isn’t engaging with this child on a daily basis can tell what a truly joyful and happy child she is, and how much she is enjoying this.
I am not asking you to judge or not judge me or her. I am just asking you to partake in the joy this little girl is living her life with. And share with me the vicarious pride that comes with social media, of raising a champion.
