Sunday, October 4, 2015

Ayaan's doubt

While watching about Lions on National Geographic on TV, my son Ayaan popped a sudden question :"Dada, how was I born? "
Enikku oru bomb vizhungi athu ente vayattil kidannu 'DOOM' ennu pottiya feeling. My child policy is that I will answer all questions, however uncomfortable, to the best I know the answer. If not able to, I will be honest and tell them, along with a suggestion to how they can get the answer.
But 10 year old is a little early isn't it, to explain about the birds and bees. How will I explain this without going into details? If I don't explain, won't he go to someone else leading to an embarrassing situation or worse a loss of his belief in my God like answering capabilities ?
"Ayaan, you see... , actually........... what.. happened was..... "silence!! My brain is doing a search and discard of possible answers and ways to answer, at bullet speed in the background, while I have a stupid grin with a blank look on my face. My mouth is opening and closing like a fish without any sound coming out. I attempted to restart my engine once again.But decided this time decided to go slow with my explanations, watching his face for his reaction to my explanations, all the while. "Ayaan, you know, you and your sister were born after Dada and Mama got married. After a man and woman get married to each other, they have children." (avante mukhathu oru bored look. Avante thanthapidi avante athrayum budhi pora enna oru look.) Breakdown aayi vazhiyil kidanna ente vandi veendum start akkaan oru attemptum koodi njaan noki.. "Ayaan, when the male and female in the animal kingdom..... " I saw the uninterested blank look on his face and stopped, puzzled. Then in a stroke of sheer genius, njaan defencinu pakaram offence kalikaam ennu vechu. Kalariyil parayum poley, Othirum, Kadakam.... Njaan angottu oru maru chodyam vittu-" why did you ask this question, Ayaan? "Hit the jackpot. Avante mukhathu ippom now we are getting somewhere, enna look.
He repeated the question," Dada, how was I born?"Pointing to the TV playing Nat Geo "Were my eyes closed shut like this Lion cub, when I was born?Did I open my eyes only after many days?"
Mone, ente manassil oru bulb kathiyathum, ashwasathinte laddoo pottiyathum orumichayirunnu. Vayattil fire forcekaru thee keduthi. "No, Ayaan. You are a human. Human babies open their eyes soon after they are born" "OK " ennu paranju doubt clear aaya avan ezhunettu poyi. Enikku ee vaka explanation parayaan kurachu varsham koodi samayam kiittiyathinte ashwasam. Mala poley vannathu Eli poley poyyallo, Haavu!!

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