"We are best friends, right?"...

The arrival of a child in a family gives birth to a whole set of new relationships. It is so rightly said that a child gives birth to a mother...not just that though, the arrival of a child gives birth to a father, grandfather, grandmother, uncles, aunts and many more relationships that only a child can forge.


More on that later...So the process of putting Raya to sleep at night has  progressively been taking longer and longer. When she was a little baby, it was the 'going off to sleep' itself that took a long time. Over the period of time, we have had to add a rather extended bed time ritual to it, which includes...bath, feeding her milk, making sure she pees, reading and re-reading favorite books, saying a small prayer and then listening to endless chatter that's a combination of the real and her make believe world..tales that she conjures up! Oh and dare I forget turning on the music at bed time, for if I do, I will be promptly reminded, "Mamma I want something to make me feel better, I want music to make me sleepy!" ...Oh well!


In that context, here's what happened last night. The bed time ritual last night was getting prolonged to the point that my patience was running out. So much so that, at one point of time, I lost my temper,  raised my voice and told Raya, "Raya you have to go to sleep, right now!!". A raised voice these days, gives us a taste of our own medicine and gets us the standard reaction of, "That's not nice, mamma!" "Don't talk to me like that. Be nice to me!"...I explained to her that I was getting angry because she was not listening to me. Anyways, a second of whining and a few whimpers later, I noticed Raya closing her eyes tight and then she said, "Look it mamma...look it...I am closing my eyes...I am sleeping...I am listening to you'...quickly and unexpectedly followed by, "We are best friends, right mamma?!!"...I just laughed out loud and said ..."Yes, of course we are best friends, Raya"
...and on that note, my little toddler finally decided to wrap up her day, finally falling asleep and I ended the day on a high note, all my exhaustion having melted away with this new found relationship with my toddler...that of a best friend!! :)


Now this is what happened this morning :
I ask Raya :"We are best friends, right, Raya?"
Raya : "No, mamma"
I ask her: "Why? Who is your best friend?"
Raya : "Baba"
I ask Raya :"But you told me last night, I am your best friend"
Raya: "Ahaa...Baba is my best friend now. You are my best friend at night!!"


LOL...So on that note of  'toddler humor', from our new found best friend...happy parenting !