Kids

Having a 12 year kid at home, is like having a time bomb clicking under your chair or like a volcano threatening to erupt anytime.. Anirudh, my son completed 12 last July. Things started to change drastically, he considered himself a teenage guy and behaved like one. He started a gmail account, started a blog and made 4 good postings and that was something that I felt really happy about. I passed it on proudly to my circle of friends. But he deleted all the four posts because he had an argument with me for some trivial thing. It's like a roller coaster ride. One moment he is like a child hugging and kissing me. The next behaves like a grown up and considers me as an embarrassment.

Today is Saturday, both me and Ani planned to go out... He wanted to go to Queensland, a theme park and I said yes. He got a phone call which made him change his mind... he wanted to go for a movie instead.. I yielded and we debated between INOX and Sathyam and he decided on Sathyam. He chose Sathyam primarily because it's a very good theater, quite roomy and you need not go in search for popcorn or puffs, it will come to you and ofcourse that's part of the elite class package. The way he was stuffing everything in to his mouth, I was really afraid that if it would hurt him... Where does everything go? He is never sated when it comes to eating. I often wonder if he has a sack hidden inside his stomach...

Sathyam has four floors of lavishly furnished gaming zone. wow! even I felt it was out of world... he started to play Xbox and PS3 games and handed over another joystick to me. I was clueless how to even hold it leave alone play... I had my share of playing video games but definitely not wrestling.. when we started to play all of a sudden my couch where I leaned comfortably started to vibrate and I jumped and it took a minute to realize that the audio sound comes from behind your chair...He barked "PLAY"... I started to struggle with the joy stick. I could see in the screen, one guy was continuously hitting and the other guy kept falling down. You should know by now who is who? I am very sure that he is taking it up on me for all the past week events.. first shot - Parent Teacher's meeting. Second shot - Not allowing to go out with his friends for playing cricket. Third shot - Didn't buy him the Playstation he was asking for... there is no time for fourth or he would have... I fell flat and the referee declared him to be the winner... I jumped from the seat, cannot bear to see such violence for another hour or so... told him that I will be at the bowling court and escaped... had my coffee and tried to relax....

MOM.. Oh no not again... I turned and asked him,"What is this, this time?". "Can you give me your cell phone please? I need to call my friend for just two minutes".... Two minutes happened to stretch for 20... He handed over the phone with a strange smile... I felt my hair standing behind my neck, a wierd feeling something is wrong... I knew what it was as we reached home... Ani's friends three of them put in their appearance. "Hey Ashwin, you know, my mom make wonderful Samosas.. I bet it tastes better than your mom's." I groaned. I was bone tired and had a splitting headache, but went inside the kitchen set to make the batter for Samosas and started to boil vegetables..Music blared and all the three guys were singing... Oh god! give me some peace please....

At last God heard me, I guess. After they finished eating their samosas and had their tea, they went out to play... At last some quiet and that is what I wanted. Took an Aspirin and went about cleaning the mess. After clearing that rested my head on the couch and closed my eyes.

Started to rewind the tape, that took me to my teenage days... Did I bother my mom too? Was I a difficult kid? Did I give my mom and dad tough time? Did I demand or request? May be I should ask my mom when I talk to her next time..

Suresh, either goes out when the going is tough or take out his newspaper and hide his face... Whenever I complain, with a smile he will say, "Don't worry dear, things will become alright". A standard line. I am tired of hearing those lines.. What more? Ani worships his dad.

Why kids are so difficult? or is that we do not know how to deal with them? But you know it's not just me who feel this way. Many parents feel this way too about their kids :)

Check this out:

I am not allowed to sing, dance, laugh or wear short skirts. Having a teenage daughter is like living with the Taliban.
Author Kathy Lette

Always end the name of your child with a vowel, so that when you yell the name will carry.
Bill Cosby

Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories.
John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester

Most children threaten at times to run away from home. This is the only thing that keeps some parents going.
Phyllis Diller

Having one child makes you a parent; having two you are a referee.
David Frost

The parent who could see his boy as he really is, would shake his head and say: 'Willie is no good; I'll sell him.
Stephen B. Leacock

Everybody knows how to raise children, except the people who have them.
P. J. O'Rourke

It's almost 3 hours since he went out to play... where on earth has he gone? house is so quiet with out him... It' so dull and boring with out his nagging and laughs... I wish he comes home soon... yeah the bell... he is back :) Damn...I missed him....