Thursday 9 January 2014

THE UN-PAMPERED CHILD....






I feel like Fiona stuck inside a Barbie house. Or better still, Fiona dressed as Santa Claus, stuck inside a Barbie house. Clad in my 2 year old Red striped pajamas and a fading Red t-shirt, I feel ugly sitting inside this Barbie house. What Barbie house you ask me.

I am currently staying with my maternal uncle, his wife, my niece and my maternal grandparents, because the Chillar in my lady wallet isn’t fancy enough to let me afford a place on my own. Besides I recently started working so my bank account is still fighting cob webs. Now conforming to the traditional Indian forced hospitality, my niece has been kicked out of her Barbie den and this Fiona has been allowed to sleep on the gigantic Barbie bed, keep her clothes in a pink wardrobe, wake up to an alarm clock shaped as a Barbie head and write this post in a room filled with posters of Snow White, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and the many other fancy named plastic bimbos. Even the bathroom curtain has princess posters with lace detailing, not to forget the Disney Princess glowing stickers stuck on the ceiling with the thin waisted, umbrella hipped babes looking down on me as I sleep. I absolutely detest it all.  

As an infant I never had a cradle. No fancy chimes to look at and make sounds. I used to sleep in a cloth crib made with my father’s old Lungi diligently tied to a hook originally meant for a ceiling fan. This same lungi used to come in handy while travelling in the second class coach of the train, for it was tied on the two opposite second berth railings with me being placed mid air. It was a mobile cradle. This kid also never had a room for herself, forget a themed room. This kid never had a Barbie doll.

I remember how I once saw my Nursery friend play with this gorgeous, unreal, pink haired Barbie doll. I also remember how I rushed home and demanded that I be promoted from stuffed sock bunnies with one eye missing to a frilled frock Barbie. I do remember how later that evening my father came home with a giant frizzy haired doll that would shut its monstrous eyes on being placed horizontally and yank it open when made to stand. While all the kids played kitchen set with their Barbies, I was home alone with my Bride of Chucky.

I never had a wardrobe I could call my own. I shared an old Godrej Almirah with my granny which she declared was too precious for her since it was passed down the generation line by her ancestors I don’t care about. I was the kid that was allowed to eat anything edible that fell on the ground because my mother confirmed that the floor was wiped clean yesterday. In short I was never pampered. Except for my childhood kleptomania where I stole stuffed toys and dolls from every house I visited, I was a fine child. No hard feelings against my family.

What I am trying to say is, it is not the theme based rooms that make a child. At the end of the day, sans the Barbies and sans the frilled princess curtains, I was always told I was loved. I was always showed that I was loved. Even while I looked like a suffocated zombie with no room to move my arms around in that Lungi crib, my mother sang for me. Hence, I never needed those colourful plastic chimes suiciding above my nose. I never had those cute pink trolleys which my mother could push around the shopping malls because I was the monkey child with her feet wrapped around her mother’s hip still being carried around like feather despite her whale weight.

And who knows what I would have turned into if I had a pink room with little princess styled mirror table and a fancy pink brush to comb my hair with. Who knows what I would have become if I had a collection of Barbie dolls and played kitty party with them? May be this blog would have been differently themed with “MY PINK UNICORN” being the name. May be it would have made me dress up like a girl and not like a confused transgender.

But hear me dear future child ‘o’ mine. Know that you shall never have any of the fancy stuffs that the world confirms too. Know that I won’t buy you a cradle. If you are a boy, know that I won’t get you toy trucks bigger than you just because your friend has it. If you are a girl, know that I won’t paint your walls with clouds and unicorns. Know that I will let you eat from the floor. Know that I won’t pick you up when you fall. Know that I know you will get up on your own. Know that I won’t even cry on your first walk.

But Know one thing, I shall Love you. Know all of this, because like me, I know you will grow up just fine!

P.S- The blog shall be 3 years old this February mid. So I thought why not make a Facebook page. Like it for me will you? -------> CLICK HERE SWEET HEART!




159 comments:

  1. Lol! I simply love this post!

    I wouldn't put my future child in such torture (aka overwhelmingly pink barbie-d up room)...and I'm glad I wasn't put through that either.

    Thought I'd also mention that this >>>" fancy named plastic bimbos" gave me a long-lasting LOL.

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    1. Hey thanks for being the first to read!!!!! :D

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  2. I was brought up in a similar way as you have mentioned, sans the glam and glitter and I guess I have grown up to be a fine person too. :p But, when I tell people I am a single child, it is assumed that am a pampered brat; I wish they knew better. :)

    Once again, your posts make life a little better in this depressing weather. :)

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    1. That was the best compliment ever!!!! I am humbled :)
      Thanks for reading!

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  3. Loved the post.. Me and my sis were brought up in a similar way, the lungi being replaced by my granny's old cotton saree..
    Loved the "Bride of Chucky". I too had such a doll.. It was a hand me down from my sister. Come to think of it all my toys were.. Me and my sister used to scare each other with that doll.. My mom was not amused..

    Superb post :) :)

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    1. Oh poor you...actually my brother got all my old sweaters. Now I feel bad for him!

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  4. A nice post which relates to many people around here. I too was brought up in similar manner and you see when u hv elder sister all the used stuff was passed to me :P

    Now my 4 yr old sister's daughter makes list and demands tht i buy for her..times hv changed :)

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    1. Seriously times have changed. I grew up eating chalk and my niece demands KFC

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  5. Nice post, Red.. brought back memories.. only instead of barbie doll it was a mini car which could be pedalled that I wanted, and instead of bride of chucky it was a tricycle ( which replaced my 4-wheeled hippo toy that one could..err.. push around after sitting on it :D ) But yeah, seeing the toys and things my own nephews and nieces are getting, I feel like mine were better :D (no.. this is not the sour grape thing..)

    P.S: My Pink Unicorn? seriously? :P :D

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    1. HAHHAAHAHAH I am imagining you pushing a 4 wheeled hippo. LOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!

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  6. "Bride of Chucky" had me coughing in fits of laughter. I remember I had that monstrous doll when I was five. I remember, its one eye got stuck and scared the crap outta me. But I also remember telling my dad goodbye and laughing all the way when he would come back with a set of plastic crayons! Loved the post! :)

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    1. Oh yaaa....I had a doll with its one eye stuck!!!! and our childhood was awesome wasnt it?

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  7. Loved it! I was just wondering (two big IFs here).. IF you had all those pinku things and IF the judicial system allowed colours other than black and white to be worn to court.. errr.. would you be dressed in pink from head to toe to fight a case??? Just imagining it tickles my funny bone :P

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    1. My GOD!!! I am now imagining myself running across the court room in slow motion wearing Pink robe. :O

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  8. Hahahahaha!! :D
    I have been pampered but never really cared to get obsessed with it.Right from new shoes every week to extra dose of candies to countless toys. ;)

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  9. Haha I was also brought up the same way. No frills, no pinks, no barbies and I too turned out fine :) Truth be told, our parents probably had, what, 2 or 3 children and our mothers never had time to pamper and fulfill every wish that came to our lips. But now, with most couples having one kid, they usually pamper them silly :) Although I have a daughter I have promised myself that I'll never do that extra pampering stuff. But even I shudder to think what'll happen the day when she comes home demanding a Barbie just because her friends have one :( BTW Followed you on you FB Page :)

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    1. I know you shall be level headed and you know what is best for you little doll!
      Thank you for liking the page.

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  10. Bride of Chucky? Hahahaha :D

    You rock sweetheart.

    At times I feel parents pamper their kids with materialistic things, to make up for the time they are not able to give them. Thank God your parents did not pamper you. There was no way on earth I'd read something called the "The Pink headed blog" :P

    Eww, even the sound of it makes me cringe.

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    1. PINK HEADED BLOG.....hhahahah seriously!! It makes me cringe too!!!
      Thanks Leo!

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  11. Wow! This is a lovely post! The more the pink-haired barbies, the more spoilt she is! I think learning to adjust helps us a great deal from childhood itself. :)

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  13. Awesome post! And like a lot of people here, I too could relate to a lot of it. Was always on the Anti Barbie brigade. And we all turned out just fine, didnt we! :)

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    1. ANTI BARBIE BRIGADE!! yes I am in it too :D

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  14. Have you ever thought about writing an e-book or
    guest authoring on other blogs? I have a blog based on the same subjects
    you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information.

    I know my subscribers would value your work. If you're even remotely interested,
    feel free to shoot me an e-mail.

    Here is my web blog; short jokes

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  15. Strangely I never liked barbie
    On my repeated pleas my dad also got me a cute and note *CHUBBY* doll from Bangalore whom I named Sophia. My mom stitched a frock for it too from my frock remains. Other than that no fancy flashy stuff. Like U said YEP IT WILL TRULY influence even what U write and what U want to name ur blog. May be your blog will have a doll anime introducing u.
    Lol
    Good one as always and good to know u hav an FB page now ;)

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    1. DOLL anime...hmmmmmmmm..I can still put it you know. A bride of chucky anime :P
      Thanks love!

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  16. I didn't know Santa wore striped pink pyjamas :P

    Oh, so is this blog your (plain)child or your brainchild? If child, then is it male or female? Oh, and you suddenly started to talk like my mother by the time I was in the third last paragraph (I think it was the third last para).

    Anyways, congratulations on having a grown up baby blog. Indeed it is turning out to be a fine piece :)

    Cheers,
    Blasphemous Aesthete

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    1. RED PAJAMASSSSSSSSS!!! not pink!!!
      This is a gender neutral blog btw :P

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  17. I loved this post frank and sweet.Not all are endowed with comforts of the rich.I could relate to the 'thooli' crib made of dad's dhoti,sleeping on mats on the floor,seeing toys only in other houses,squatting on the floor for eating etc.What I was not happy about you is the contemplated revenge on your future child depriving it of all the things you were denied except your abundant love.That is not fair!!!

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    1. hahahaaa.......I am quite selfish like that!!!!!!!!!!!

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  18. This post rang a bell! I craved for Barbie dolls as a kid..Now I know they are useless.. I did have a lot of other toys though..

    And you cracked me up with this! "May be it would have made me dress up like a girl and not like a confused transgender." XD U r hilarious Red! I 'liked' your FB page.. Congratulations for your blog turns 3.. May it go like this for eternity!

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    1. Thank you sweetheart. The satisfaction I derive on knowing that I made someone smile.
      Thank youuuuuuuuuuuu!

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  19. Damn, even I had a lungi that wasn't even mine....I think I was adopted... :\

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    1. *points fingers* BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAA
      i had a lungi that was appa's and i dragged it everywhere with me while i sucked my index and middle finger and beat a fist on my forehead every two minutes. considering my absolutely sane parents i have real doubts i was adopted :D:D:D

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    2. gahahahahahahahahahhhaha Poor R-A-J

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    3. vixieeeeeee--- LOLOLOLOLOLOL....I am imagining a naked baby hitting her temple with drool covered fingers...loooooooooooooooooool

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  20. Of Red, Iovely Red, I shudder even at the thought of calling you Pink. :P You are good the way you are.
    My parents refused to buy me toys(mostly) saying that I wouldn't concentrate on my studies. For a boy who loved cricket, I never had a bat of my own. :-/ But that's ok I guess. I turned out to be just fine. ;-)

    Every child is loved by their parents(most cases), in their own way. :-)

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    1. YOU never had a bat? HOW SAD!!! :P
      Sorry I am happy you did not get a bat :P
      Yes we were loved!! :)

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  21. Completely relatable post and loove it the way uve added a dash of humor on simplicity on what a child cannot have. Going to book mark the blog now:)

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  22. dyyyyuuuuuudeeeeeee..like dyuuuuuude.
    thank the lady up there that you didnt grow up with all things fancy shmancy. i would have probably barfed at a very pinky blog of yours. Like seriously thank god. I have known people i mean i girls(i cant really call them women you see) who go "ooooooooooo" "soooooooo cuteeeeeee" "aren't you such a dawwwwwl" even when talking to people and i am like i am seriously going to die with diabetes.
    even i had a very unchildly childhood. i mean i see kids today getting everything they want from their prents and i am like.."dude i ate dirt..forget McD's" and look at me..i think i ahve turned out perfectly fine with a sane sense of the world. my husband and i have decided we are going to raise a child just like that. no fancy shmancy stuff..no ooo extra demands fulfilled..just a normal childhood. but yeah the only point where i will spoil the kid is with books. loads and loads of them. i think they will manage jst fine.
    and you woman i am sure will be one helluva mother.
    yeggzellend post molay..Cheers!!
    PS-i am listening to "punjabi wedding song" from hasee toh phasee and i cant help but imagine doing a jig with you at a punjabi wedding on that song..its crazy but i am picturing the two of us dancing like two mantals with the crowd bajaoing seeti :D:D:D

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    1. hahahahaahhahahaha why are you so awesome my vixieeeeeeeeeeeee. and the line where you said "I ATE DIRT FORGET McD" gahahahahah I remember how I used to be taken to the principles offices because I used to eat chalk :P
      and let us dance my love!!!!! Seeti or no seeti...we shall the daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaance!

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  23. reading this post made me complete my #100HappyDays challenge for the day! Enough said !

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    1. BEST COMPLIMENT EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

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  24. I am deeply sorry for what you had to go through dear one.I can't even imagine your pain,although I am 18 in my mind and histrionic on top of that despite being born in 54,your pain and struggle is of much greater magnitude.I'll pray for you to receive freedom anyway God will give it to you.as for me I embrace being an 18-year-old histrionic.After all at least we are not mundane and boring like this.

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  25. This is very insightful on your part.

    Any kind of awkward times force the mind to think differently, and you having to stay with your relatives is one of them. I am sure there will be more posts like this one in the coming days. More than that, congrats on the (new?) job, and on moving to a new place.

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  26. Dear God!! A 'Bride of Chucky' doll :) bwahahahaa... They really should have sold those things in India :D
    I guess we all turned out 'relatively okay' in spite of everything... infact, i dont have much of an opinion of most of the children who've been mollycuddled all their lives.. they invariably grew up to be a-holes!

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    1. I swear. I know so many who were spoilt as kids and remain spoilt as grown ups!1
      Thanks for reading Doctor!

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  27. Wonderful post. Raised like this, it brings me nostalgia and a tear.

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  28. Loved the post :) Amazing! :)

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  29. I think I am the last one to comment although I had read it earlier. I always read your blogs even if I don't comment. Okay so this is one hell of a post. Seriously you have grown up as one witty smart lady with a good sense of humor plus strong opinions. I believe world should have all kinds of people. Now we know how girls can turn into confident ladies growing up without barbies. However, to tell you the truth, I have grown up with lots of barbies and stuffy toys around me and although I never had a themed room (I dont remember having a themed room!), I had been a very very pampered child and still I am one pampered girl. My mum don't let me drink tea even if it gets an hour old. And my wishes are fulfilled at the blink of an eye. I have always lived in my fantasy world and even now, I occasionally drift back to my world of imaginations. The credit goes to my mum for reading me stories full of fairies and making a world for me without monsters. I believe I have grown up just fine too. I dont want to sound offensive or anything, I just felt like sharing this with you because it will open you to one another perspective and that's kind of good, no? The way your post opened me to another world and I owe you for this, for opening a world of your own, a world very different, a world I had never imagined in front of me. Also, I would like to tell you that there is this saying I believe in "Never raise your children the way your parents raised you." and the reason is that our children will be of another generation and they will have different needs and requirements. Probably they would need an iphone on their second birthday...although I dont appreciate the fact how kids are getting too much into the tech stuff, I would acknowledge the needs of my child and at the same time I will try my best to be protective and introduce a world of books, imaginations and give him/her a better world than the world my mum had given to me. I very definitely respect your viewpoint but I believe parents should be there to catch the child if he/she falls and paint their walls and love the child in a way child wants to be loved, not how parents think should be loved. I have been through a whole lot of stuff and I guess my thinking has been moulded because of that. I hope you liked reading my viewpoint as much as I enjoyed and loved reading yours. Keep writing, you awesome lady. I am happy to be your friend. :)

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    1. Hey babe!!!!!! That was the best comment ever. and you know why? Because you actually took time to give me your view point. No one does that. People believing in a leaving a comment simply for the sake of it. You made me happy. And Yes I do agree that pampered kids or kids bought up in themed rooms do grow out good too, it is just that I wasn't a part of that lot. I am just saying that without it , I turned out quite fine too. But you have to accept that how you are bought up does shape your tastes in things later in your life.
      And you are my friend. Bake me a cake now please :D
      Btw, I have this secret recipe for the best chocolate cake ever!!!!

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    2. Haha omg thank you. I genuinely love your blog. Okay time for a cake. Let me know the secret recipe. or why don't you post it and share it with all of us? Time to share your culinary skills and bring out the chef in you. ;) And I will def bake a cake for you, someday. :)

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    3. Hhahaha no secret recipe...but google Hershey's Perfectly perfect chocolate cake recipe. You cannot beat that one. Even if u suck at baking, your cake will taste like the Cafe Coffee Day's dark temptation pastry!!!

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  30. You know I had a similar upbringing. Though my parents did get me a few barbies. But my cousin same age was more pampered than I was and even though I was a child I would be envious but never really demanded anything from mommy. According to my family, I grew up FINE. And like in your case, I always knew I was loved. I am loved. And that is the most important thing of all. <3

    Already like your FB page, PV shared it ;)


    Defiant Princess
    www.khanvibes.com

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    1. Thanks love!!! and Hi5 on being the normally bought up child!!!!!

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  31. I have always believed in anti-pampering strategy and would mercilessly ignore a pampered child- be it a cousin or fren's kid. I want to remain the same when our baby arrives and hopefully I can. Cos jus like what you said, me and John were never pampered and eventually we came out somewhat okish.
    And yeah, we are planning to put up a 'lungi' thottil for the baby. Its economical and comes handy :) lets see, some years down the line, either our kid will write a similar blog post or would probably lash out at us for depriving him/her a proper crib!!!

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    1. hahahah we can only wait and seeeee!! and I am sure you shall be a lovely mother!

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  32. Liked your page and loved this post ... your words make me smile :-)

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  33. First and foremost , I love the way you mix francaise and anglaise :p sans the barbie doll

    Coming to a serius note , children are today are not lucky like we were :) Their parents cant afford time for them and hence they need to fill the gap by all other materialistic things..

    I somehow feel If we could even be able to give half of what our parents did to us to our CHILDREN , we would be raising the next best generation...

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    1. I dint even know sans was french. :P
      See I am that much of an idiot, that I end up looking smart :P
      and yes if only we have the patience our parents had!

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    2. lol

      you are sooper crazyyyy !!! can i find you on FB

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  34. How many times..how many times i have thought of this..Kids nowadays are pampered a lot..

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  35. I think it really depends on the kids too. Sometimes some kids naturally are attracted towards barbies or trucks and a parent should not withhold these from the child just because it is stereotypical. I grew up with both dolls and trucks (in fact a tank!) but my parents didn't give them to me - I picked it out myself and they just didn't say no.

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  36. That is one efficient use of the 'Lungi'. SRK ruined it for so many I tell you.

    Yes, kids are pampered a great deal today and believe me you have just touched the tip of the iceberg. Have you ventured into the birthday arena? Don't go there. You won't come back the same!

    I think, we as parents are failing somewhere. We can't manage the gap. The kids will be fine with whatever you manage to convince them of. They are kids, for crying out loud.

    A very, very, present time post! Well done!

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    1. haha thank you so much for reading!!!! and thank God I did not touch on the birthday area!!!

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  37. Que Sera Sera. Whatever will be will be. The future is not ours to see. You never know how life turns out to be. Barbie... or no Barbie. The pink though is overpowering in this one :) Happy new year Red. Write on.

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    1. Thank you for reading. And Happy New year to you!!!!

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  38. "While all the kids played kitchen set with their Barbies, I was home alone with my Bride of Chucky." That cracked me up like nothing else. :) Sooooper Read koche.

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    1. Now I am so glad for that!! Thank you mashe!

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  39. This is an awesome post Red!

    Even though everyone tells me that I should not pamper my 2.5 year old by letting him sleep with me, I still do. Even though I went to work when he was 5 months old, I fed and bathed him myself, leaving nothing to do for his nanny. Never ever did any nanny feed or bathe him, until he grew up and started playschool. I buy him toys he needs to keep busy, not any super expensive stuff. I also do not believe in any fancy cradle or themed bedrooms, and know how to say NO to him. I do not buy any chocolates/packaged fries or any processed food on any day, because I know when he goes to hostel some day thats all he will get to eat. My Mommy friends accuse me of robbing him of his childhood because I dont stuff my fridge with chocolates!

    But after reading this post, I am consoled because now I know my son is going to be just fine!

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    1. Oh trust me, your son will grow up to one cool independent dude. And he would love you!!!!!!!!!!
      To hell with what others say, you know what your child needs :)

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  40. To hell with Barbies, you have a flair for writing. Plus you are a self made girl. Proud of you Red. Read your previous post via Blogadda. Good going.

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    1. Thank you for noticing the post. Means a ton you know!!

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  41. I grew up just like that. Neither did I have a cradle nor did i have a big car. And I'm happy I grew up like that facing the reality every moment in my childhood. Look at what we do now. We create a virtual world for the kids. They live in that world thinking that's life and finally when they have to face reality, many face problems of misadjstments.
    A wonderful post as usual red.

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    1. And I am happy you grew up that way. Like you said, these days kids ar brought up in a fantasy world and not realistic!

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  42. This is such a heart warming kind of post. I was smiling throughout.
    :)

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  43. U Klepto :D. Even i had that doll but you know just for a day i wanna stay in such a room. Many Congrats on the milestone.

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    1. hahahahah well I have moved out to sleeping on the sofa!! the room is suffocating.

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    2. Can I take your place in that room? :p

      Congrats on BlogAdda pick :)

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  44. 84 comments huh? You just had me there :D

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    1. If only you noticed my post :(((((
      But thanks love!

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  45. That was a wholesome entertainment! Keep going:)

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  46. I think I speak for all men, that some of us wanna date you now.

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  47. great post Red..:)
    M sure u ll make a gud mom someday..:) :P and a kickass one at that..:P

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    1. I shall be a terror....:P
      But thanks for the faith in me!!! :)

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  48. I am not sure about the lungi crib in train..I have to call mom to confirm..but I was sure a monkey child and I'm really glad I am brought up this way..instead of being blind with fascinations I showed the reality and was told that no matter what family will always be there on my side whenever I need them and that at the end of the day the dinner we have sitting on floor is much important than sleeping alone in barbie painted room. :)

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    1. EXACTLY!!! Being a monkey child is better than being inside a cold crib and being dragged around!!
      Thanks for reading love!

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  49. The room sounds like something you could torture a terrorist with *shudders thinking about the frills, laces & all the pink*
    I agree, I was never pampered unless you count love :D And there's no way on earth I'm going to spoil my children if I have some with such ugly things #sorrynotsorry :P
    I have missed reading you, Red! x
    http://thisistherealitarin.blogspot.com/2014/01/barren.html

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    1. heyyyyy NIRATI!! I am so glad you are back now. I missed reading you tooo!

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  50. What I would seriously want to do is fast forward a few years and check whether you are sticking to the rules you have set for yourself when it comes to spoiling your child.

    Trust me, I too had made such predictions but my bad bad son has a way of making me dance to his tunes. All those pledges are now long forgotten.

    I too shared a similar childhood but I used to dress up my 20 rs dolls like Barbie with glitter clothes and lace as an act of coping up. :)
    Nice read Red.

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    1. heheeh dont scare me now. This post cannot be used against me in future :P
      I am a lawyer :(

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  51. What I would seriously want to do is fast forward a few years and check whether you are sticking to the rules you have set for yourself when it comes to spoiling your child.

    Trust me, I too had made such predictions but my bad bad son has a way of making me dance to his tunes. All those pledges are now long forgotten.

    I too shared a similar childhood but I used to dress up my 20 rs dolls like Barbie with glitter clothes and lace as an act of coping up. :)
    Nice read Red.

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  52. I don't know why but I never really liked BARBIES and I still don't (Thank God)!!!

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  53. Seriously!! Not that I am against BARBIES..It is just that it did not happen with me!

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  54. Thank god your blog is not pink!!!!
    I could so relate to you girl :D As a kid I tried to make a room my own but every morning would find my sister snuggled near my feet and my brother hogging half of the blanket. But we grew just fine :D
    I relate more to Fiona and love Shrek to the core. If he was real I would have kidnapped him and confined him to a tall tower.
    Loved this post girl :D

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    1. I love shrek toooo!!!!
      Thanks a lot for reading!!

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  55. I am spoiling my children, with electronic stuff. They will learn to play Starcraft, Counter Strike, or DoTA for competitive purposes. And Indie titles like Braid or The Stanley Parable.

    They will join me as part of the PC Master race. None of that console nonsense.

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  56. hmm,most of the middle class families till 1990's had same standard of living in india when it comes to kids upbringing. i don't understand why parents or society has different approach towards girl and boy upbringing.

    why a girl should play with teddy bears ,barbie dolls and a boy has to play with toy guns,remote controlled cars and helicopters.there is discrimination from childhood when it comes to upbringing and when they grow up, the girl and boy don't evolve psychologically with the same pace when it comes to understanding social issues or responsibilities coz of faulty upbringing.

    when i was kid ,i had wooden tiger doll,toy car,toy gun and helicopter but they din't interest me much compared to things that were hand made like paper rockets,planes and boats.flying paper planes, rockets and leaving paper boats in rain water and making kites,bow and arrows from bamboo are more fun.playing outdoors with all this stuff makes a person more mature over years.making a phone out of match boxes with a thread acting as a wire is more fun coz we are creating stuff with what we can afford than craving which we can't afford.by all these actions,kids learn that happiness lies within and they can live happily with whatever they have instead of comparing themselves with others.the most happiest thing from my childhood is playing in sand near pond with lots of lotus flowers,its a kinda fairy tale life during summers in my grandma village.





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    1. You gave me lot to think about!!! and Your parents are amazing!!!!

      Delete
  57. fantastic post and blog. i too had a bride of chucky doll...lol.

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  58. This is my first visit to your blog, and I must say, I now believe in love at first visit! I like the idea behind this post. In fact, I absolutely love it. The only thing kids need is love, and just love. I wish every parent, and parent-to-be would read this post. Kudos!

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  59. I don't necessarily think it's bad to pamper a child as long as it's a "healthy pampering" if that makes sense. I think you just have to be careful of excess.

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  60. Hey..
    This one reminded me of my childhood. That lungi cradle, second class train. My mother gave me those little steel utensils from the kitchen as toys to play with. And when I get tired of playing there was a big vessel filled black coffee for me drink because my mother couldn't afford to buy milk then.

    Feels so good to read your blog. Great going red handed.

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    Replies
    1. Babe, we were brought up amid all the struggles our parents went through. But we are truly blessed!
      Thank u soooooooo much!

      Delete
  61. It was an interesting read since I thought a single child is pampered always. I am a single child and I have been pampered a lot by my parents. I agree with the above comment. There is nothing wrong in healthy pampering I guess. But some parents spoil a child by pampering and that is not good.

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    Replies
    1. Exactly... but parents forget to differentiate between healthy pampering and ugly pampering!

      Delete
  62. I never had any Barbies. But loads of stuff dolls... and that too even now! :)

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  63. *hug* I guess, you will welcome me to the club, haha. I am a single child and I guess, I did get a wee bit pampered initially and when my parents realized I was getting spoilt, voila! the boot camp began. And although, i detested it thoroughly, I feel kinda grateful because, just like you, I turned out fine (i guess). :)

    P.S. - in case it is too awkward and uncomfortable to accept a virtual hug from a stranger, feel free to ignore it. xD

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    Replies
    1. I need that HUG!!!!! No ignoring!!!
      and yes we turned out just fine!!!

      Delete
  64. Reminded me of my childhood for the most part. Though I didn't have any of that, I ended up liking all those. But I always knew I was just fine with or without them.

    Totally with you on the point that apart all the accessories, love is the theme that a child needs, not barbies and unicorns :)

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  65. Just the other day, I was worrying if I am going to make my daughter not-girly-at-all me being also so opposing to pink business :)

    Yeah. We all turned out fine.

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  66. Sad, Mrs tharoor passed away, I was wondering what would you do with that post... First thing i did after i read the news, was come and check out this space :(

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  67. I agree with 'Mi'
    The first thing that popped in my mind after I heard the news was your post!!!
    RIP Mrs.Tharoor

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  68. We mostly had everything that we wanted (we being me and my brother), but the catch in our case was, we had to earn it. There was a real Reward and punishment thing going on in our house. You didn't finish your homework, well no ice-cream for you today. You lost your water bottle, better get used to borrowing till the next school year starts.

    Now on a serious note. I do think that how you are brought up makes a difference on how you look at life. It changes your sensibilities. But I don't think it actually makes you a better or a worse person. You being you, I think 'The Pink Unicorn' or any floaty stuff you would have come up with would have been as hilarious as this 'Red Handed, tiger Headed' stuff.

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    Replies
    1. Hahahah now u r cute!1 Thanku for saying that I would have been the same even if the blog was baby pink with kitty anime welcoming every reader!!!!!
      and ur parents were smart!!! I like them!

      Delete
  69. Ok, I wrote a comment, which I really worked on and then I think it just got lost somewhere...Now If I did get it right, you can remove this new one...Or else...this quick fix substitution of a comment will have to do.

    We (me and my brother), mostly had everything we wanted. But the catch was we had to earn it. Want to eat Suji Ka Halwa, finish your homework. Lost your water bottle at school, better learn to borrow till the next school year. We had a pretty strict Reward and Punishment system going on in our house.

    On a serious note, I think the way you are brought up does make as difference. But in the end its more about the values that we got from people around us that matters, rather than the number of Barbie dolls one has.

    P.S. My parents were pretty big on giving me toys early on, but my Break them ratio was so high, I had to learn to repair my guns (I just loved them) for the better part of my childhood. In fact the latter part involved more imagination than the earlier one.

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  70. This post has been selected for the Tangy Tuesday Picks this week. Thank You for an amazing post! Cheers! Keep Blogging :)

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  71. I know what you mean. I also come from a traditional simplistic background. I had a wonderful childhood.
    Congratulations on your blog. 3 years is a huge number.

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  72. The stereotyping of Pink girls is quite annoying to say the least.

    And though I am not a mom yet, I think people these days are too paranoid about bringing up kids- what they eat, what they do, what they see!

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  73. What a beautiful post! Misty eyed by the time I finished reading it.

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  74. I don't remember having any toys.
    But I remember my niece getting a BIG soft toy. I think it was teddy bear.
    It costed ~200 Rs in 1990.
    It was promptly covered in a plastic bag and kept on the top shelf as a show case.
    It came down from that place when she was eighteen and odd they were shifting the house.
    Sounds really funny/ironic/poignant now. But nobody thought like that in those days.

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  75. Wow!!! Loved this post!! This is my first visit to your blog and I shall make it a point to visit your blog regularly. :)

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  76. Im inspired by ur writing skills and will make a habit of regularly visiting ur blog site. Wonderful writer you are

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  77. I might be very , very, very late to this! But, boy, I feel lucky that I read this...I am absolutely speechless.My entire life just flashed in front of my eyes! Brilliant...absolutely brilliant...

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Spit It Out I Say !!!