Tantrums, Popcorns,Cookies and Smiles!!!

“Ooooo Khushi ki daadi..!!!”  shouts Ranvir.

Wondering what’s going on? Here, Khushi is my niece. Ranvir and Simar are her friends, and they’re twins. They are all five and a half.

“Khushi ki daadi” is my mother and of course Khushi’s grandmother.

“Ooooooo Khushi ki daadi..!!!” shouts Ranvir again, this time with more force, an angry pout and a set expression that says : TEMPER TANTRUM ON ITS WAY!!!

“What happened Ranvir?” asks Maa, all concerned.

“I’m going back home!!” replies Ravir, pouting some more and fighting back angry tears.

“What happened beta? Did you have a fight with Khushi or Simar?” asks Maa with a NOT AGAIN expression on her face. 

Ranvir swallows before answering and says, “Khushi ki daadi , see how Khushi is behaving. She is not playing with me. She plays only with Simar.” 

And the dam bursts. Big fat tears roll down his eyes. He tries to push them back with his fists, fighting the embarrassment that accompanies the act of crying in front of people. Maa starts to soothe him a little. 

But he’s not done with the complain. Hic-up one, then a two, then a three and he is ready to speak again, “ You know Khushi ki daadi , I am so busy. I go to school, I go for English tuition, I go for Hindi tuition, and I go for so many more. Then I also have to sit and study at home. I don’t get time to play. In the very little time I get Khushi doesn’t even play with me. She plays with Simar. She has no time for me!!”

Even before Maa attempts to pacify him Khushi shouts from the stairs, “Daadi, Ranvir is not the only one who is busy. I go for my dance classes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I go for Yoga every morning and I have to do homework too. And Simar and I are playing with dolls. Ranvir doesn’t want to be their doctor!!!”

“Why do I have to be the doctor always? And they keep dressing up the dolls and making up their hair all the time. They don’t bring them to me for injection.” Retorts Ranvir.

“But the dolls are not ill, so why should we bring them to you?” says Simar.

All three of them look at Maa daring her to take sides. Oops!!! It’s a die or die situation for her.

Maa is dumbfounded. She looks at me, I guess pleading for help. But I’m dumbstruck too. All I can do is shrug my shoulders. 

Amidst the mayhem a mouthwatering smell of warm, freshly made popcorns travelling from the kitchen fills the sitting room.

 With a lot of inhibitions Maa asks the agitators, “Will anyone have popcorns?”

 

“I will, I will” shout Khushi and Simar in unison and start giggling. Ranvir looks interested but is still grumpy.

Maa thinks ‘two down, one to go!!’ 

“How about some hide n seek biscuits?” she asks.

“Ranvir loves them daadi. He can eat them all you know!! Isn’t it Ranvir?”pops in Khushi with awe on her face. Simar giggles. 

“Yes I can eat all of them. And more. But I will eat the popcorns too!!” he makes sure. And finally gives a big bright smile. 

Maa looks relieved. PHEW!! Close call. Thanks to the lifesaving snacks.

Tight schedules and complaining to friends about time; these used to be adult territories. Not anymore. A bunch of five year olds can complain about all these. I wish adults could sort things out with something as simple as popcorns and cookies.

The innocence of being a five year old is so endearing that I sometimes envy the very simplicity of it. :)