Whenever I'm asked about the age of our son Anirudh and I tell them, lot of people look at me with an expression which I don't know how to perceive. The tones varied from questioning to awed to surprised and to even disbelief. I say disbelief because they ask me the year of birth even after I've told them his age. As if I would be miscalculating his age. Can a mother do such a miscalculation on the child's birthday at least?
And that leaves me a bit flummoxed if they are saying it in positive or negative. If I go by my instincts, very few people have said it in positive manner leaving me wondering why the others respond to it with negative.
Betu turned 5 about a fortnight ago and he is a bit tall for his age which shows he has taken the height gene from his papa who is 6'1". So he is definitely tall but he is not overweight or over sized. To put it in clear cut words he is NOT fat.
How do you all think I should react to such statements? I definitely want to ignore them. Sometimes I do succeed and there are times when I don't and that makes me feel a bit irritated.
Have any suggestions and any real life incidents to share?
aah.. that one is easy.. its not looks darling.. ur son betrays the wisdom of a kid more than 5 years old.. his social skills are way beyond that of a 5 year old.. even i was surprised when u told me he is just 5. Sure, he looked tall for a 5 year old, but he was also courteous, and he was wonderful company (not just to my son), in general, behaved like someone more than 5 years old.
ReplyDeleteSo, methinks, if people are looking negative when they raise this doubt, they are just being a wee bit envious..
what do u think?
bhabhi, your post brought back a recent memory that helped me understand anirudh's maturity beyond physical age :-) bhuwan and i were visiting a family friend after a year and i noticed that their 4 year old daughter Liah was starkly MORE VOCAL than a year ago when we had met. sure, some progressions happen with time but hers were clearly extraordinary for me. because a year ago she would repeat after his brother whatever he said (despite the bully he was with her) but now she was answering back with intelligence and poise beyond her age. then her dad explained to me that it is because she had spent a large part of the last year at a crache/nursery type environment as both parents got busy with careers. he said that now since Liah was negotiating (of course in a minor way) with other children (for example - sharing her fav toys and books at the crache etc.) she had begun to understand the world faster than before.
ReplyDeleteso i guess that apart from the maturity anirudh is gaining from being around elders in the family, he is also becoming his own person faster than other kids who are largely home schooled in the early years... hence the edge he has which people around you find hard to believe :-)
definitely ignore.. its hardly an issue. ppl can get very irritating with anything different from the norm.. they just need an excuse to try to get under ur nerves.. if ur son's taller, then good for you.. you shouldnt have to fret about it just cos someone else is jealous his/her kid's got 'their family genes' !!!
ReplyDeleteHowdy and Manasi: Yes, I would definitely look at it that they are getting jealous :D
ReplyDeleteDr. Roshan: yeah..they get on my nerves when they say "He is BIG for his age" with an extra stress on the word big. But yes, I'm learning to ignore it.
'ignore'tho its very difficult to do so...
ReplyDeleteand i have people who always point out that my kids have become thinner ...EVERY single time they meet me...
oh nm if u get an answer let me know... remember i had done a post irritated too and then u have told me to ignore i guess its my time to advice now :)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Howdy ..so dont give them a buzz
ReplyDeletewell if u ask me, when i first saw Aniruddh I was really happy to see a tall and healthy child, not to mention a happy one. Esp after everyone keeps telling me how thin my own children are. Like the others say just ignore, don't let them get to u.
ReplyDeleteI have faced a lot of flak on Ansh being thin. I cannot even begin. People make me feel as if ti's my fault. That coz I am working, my son is not getting enough care & I still get defensive about it rather than ignoring the comments.
ReplyDeleteI also have to learn to ignore!!
i found him okay...not fat, overweight or something like that.
ReplyDeletetall for his age - sure he is, but then that is good...
and that is something that people yearn for their kids. I do.