5 things my nephew taught me

Life lessons from the young ones.

1. “No” is a great answer to everything

I love that kids are completely and uninhibitedly undiplomatic.

They don’t care if your feelings are hurt.

If bathtime doesn't figure in their trajectory of play, they will simply say ‘NO’.

Loud and simple with no confusion.

And they never do it meekly, the way I usually do when I disagree with something, its a plain, assertive, feelingless NO.

2. Every now and then, bawl your eyes out

Nothing gives more clarity than a good, heartfelt cry.

When tears drop, all the murkiness and dirt of your heart flows out. Holding back the tears will eventually blacken your heart.

So cry all you like just so you come back afresh, ready to face all the monsters out there.

3. Giggle mindlessly for hours

My nephew is a chronic giggler, while its charming right now, it won’t be when he’s a 40-year-old man.

But what his giggling for no apparent reason taught me is that sometimes you don’t need a reason to laugh.

Sometimes its just nice to let out a big guffaw. These days I laugh when I’m in the middle of a terribly difficult situation.

And the absurdity and silliness of laughing when you’re stressed and anxious, makes me laugh even more. But the endorphins that are released definitely calm my nerves.

4. When all else fails, be creative

Just recently my nephew and I were sitting outside in the terrace because of a power failure.

With no toys with him and a pretty sweaty and angry khaala on his case, he invented his own game.

He built his own toys and came up with his own plot.

He piled on a few bricks  on top of each other and built a little bridge, he took a bright coloured leaf and called it a car and started blowing on the leaf so it would pass through the bridge.

I sat in fascination and wondered how many times I come up with creative ways to solve a problem.

5. Actions speak louder than words

From his incessant phone calls during work hours to him missing my absence when I’m away for trips, I feel like a deity thanks to this toddler who can’t even pronounce the word ‘love’.

He does not know the importance of the very candidly used phrase ‘I miss you’ but he knows that my voice is just a few digits away.

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, October 26^th, 2012.

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