Mommying BabyT

Mommy T's adventures; bringing up Baby T

Mom’s money mantra

From budgeting to saving to investing, mothers today are very savvy when it comes to money matters. That’s why mothers are a bit like mutual funds. You can depend on them even when the market is spinning, and you can be assured that your investment is in safe hands. Here’s a smart comparison of why mothers are similar to mutual funds. What do you think?

For more details, you can visit the HSBC website. You could also fill in this form to help you understand better and have your queries answered by the brand.

Building inclusion from the home

As the debate on same sex marriages rages in the Indian courts, it’s not just the nation but the world that watches with baited breath, on what the outcome and the aftereffects are going to be. But more than this, what is really evident is that the world is a truly diverse place, and every individual has a right to live a life of dignity and safety, experience love, and joy. What role then can we as parents play in ensuring that our children who will come in to this world a decade or two down the line, don’t have to fight for basic rights but will thrive where there is mutual respect and love?! This thought plays in my mind every time I watch or read the news these days. Moving into a role at work that focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion has only made this a more pressing need for our family – how can we raise our child to be more inclusive?

Here are some ways you can help children be more inclusive:

1. Teach them about different cultures: Children should be taught about different cultures and traditions from a young age. This will help them understand and appreciate the differences between people. Truth be spoken India is a very diverse nation, isn’t it every 50 kilometers that we get to experience a different dialect, food habits and traditions? But experience shows that we are not as tolerant as that. Judgments based on caste, coloyr, backgrounds, religion, and so much more divide us. Is it because we are made to only see ourselves as superior and reject every other reality out there? It baffles me sometimes. But judgemental we are for sure. How about we be more open and revel in our variety instead? Let our children see that diversity is to be celebrated, not resisted.

2. Encourage them to make friends with people who are different from them: Encourage your child to make friends with people who are different from them. This will help them learn about different cultures and perspectives. Thanks to the cosmopolitan society most of us live in, we do get to experience social relationships with people from different categories. But look deeper – how many Muslim people do you work with? Or live in the same apartment complex as you? Have you heard of landlords rejecting renters who are single, Trans individuals, or Muslims? I’ve heard of it much too often and moreover because of the role I play in my organization. Let’s look at the behaviors we model and allow our children to observe and be better people themselves.

3. Teach them to be kind and respectful: Children should be taught to be kind and respectful to everyone, regardless of their differences. This includes being respectful of people’s beliefs, cultures, and backgrounds. There is no debate on this. The world definitely needs more people to be kind. This behavior certainly begins at home.

4. Model inclusive behavior: Children learn by example, so it is important to model inclusive behavior. This means treating everyone with kindness and respect and being open to learning about different cultures and perspectives. We can’t play dual lives where on the one hand we treat people with judgments and unfairness and expect future world citizens I.e. our children to be better individuals than us.

5. Break the biases: Do gender biased notions come from behavior that our kids are seeing around them in the home environment. Are women still seen as caregivers/cooks? Will Alexa and Siri continue to subtly ply the message that a woman (voice) will hear your command and act on it? Hard hitting if you think about it, isn’t it?

6. Talk to them about discrimination: It is important to talk to children about discrimination and how it can hurt people. This will help them understand the importance of being inclusive and standing up against discrimination. Equip them with mechanisms to deal with bullying and unkind behavior and, most importantly, not shy away from taking a stand and backing their friends when attacked. The “My what goes?” (Mera kya Jaata hai) attitude has killed far more spirits than war, I am sure!

In conclusion, helping children be more inclusive is important for creating a more accepting and diverse society. By teaching children about different cultures, encouraging them to make friends with people who are different from them, teaching them to be kind and respectful, modeling inclusive behavior, and talking to them about discrimination, we can help create a more inclusive world for everyone.

I quite enjoyed writing this post today. And it comes from the heart. As a follow up, I’ll write about some more practical ways to build inclusivity. Do come back for more. ????

The morning run

I’ve never been a morning person. Early morning school when I was a kid was a nightmare. Even as a grown up, I found that I was at my best in the evenings. My energy levels suddenly went up, I had blazes of creativity (like now at 11 pm) and work would be great quality and super quickly, especially if it involved creative writing (like now, at 11 pm)

Even when we had babyT, he was never the one who would rise and shine at the Crack of dawn. Both of us would lay in, till the sun warmed our cheeks and crinkled our eyes. I would slink away from the bed and he would follow in no less than 10 minutes. Somehow, they know when you’re bodily warmth slips away from them.

So this past year when Tasmai started full-time & in person school I knew my days of that late morning start were over. Kaput, vanished into thin air just like that. Now I would have to wake up even before the sun had risen to cook up 2 meals, a snack and a treat. It gave me the shudders.

But wake up I did. Cook up elaborate meals I did. I mean freshly made pesto for pasta. Who was this woman? Salad, roti sabji, Dal rice – a full thali meal? In fact the teacher sent home a note saying, can you tone down the elaborate meals you send T, as he struggles to finish it in time. Oops!

How? I don’t know! Has my wiring changed? Have my poles interchanged? Not at all. I’m still the night owl that i am. Awake after all the lights are out. I now survive on very little sleep on weekdays. Weekends are the time to lie in.

Question to be asked is why? And it’s not as simple as just love for my child. Well mostly it is. But it’s also purely practical – T cannot consume food outside until all eating places became more conscious of food allergies and started learning that dairy free needs to be a thing. And food for kids needs to rise above cheese and butter, the so called nutrient powerhouses. That or T has grown up enough to understand the ingredients that go into cooking the meal and asking pointed questions. “Yes this is vegetarian but does it have milk cream or butter?”

Utopia is still far away, but until then, I shall wake at 530. I shall waft sleepily to the kitchen. I shall rack my brain to think of creative ways to make fun meals, and I shall wait for the weekend to laze in bed till the sun warms our cheeks. Good night!

How to re-Kindle your reading habit

(No pun intended there)

The pandemic and lockdown has ignited many hobbies and people have picked up on long lost interests and passions. Some baked, some painted. Many read. I am one of those people who went from reading no books in years to reading 12 books in 2020 and already half way through my 2021 goal.

What happened? Did I suddenly find free time which never existed before? Not really. There’s always time to do the things you really want to do right? Finding my love for reading and actually reading took time, effort and sustained efforts. Today on National Reading Day (yes, its a real thing) I thought I would list down the efforts and how I actively read.

Continue reading

Saying goodbye to our red fairy

We bid a teary goodbye to our beloved car this week. She’d been with us for a good 13 years. That’s eternity in these days when cars get replaced every few years.

It was March 2008 that @karksons bought the ? car and then as he picked me up on the way to work and we drove the daily commute, this car saw our friendship, love & then life blossom.??
.
We went from being friends to making the first date plans in this very car.? Endless dinner evenings at a time when you could drink a bottle of wine & still drive in Mumbai.? G proposed in this car. We decided to get married in the car.

I came home as a new bride ?in our red car. we moved to our first home ?& then subsequent homes in this car. We heard the news of our pregnancy?, from our health center when we were traveling in this car & of course went to the hospital &? brought back our baby boy in this car.

She saw many battles when not once but twice she was battered – one by a drunk driver & then by an angry mob. Yes!! She’s endured it all.? Our special red car. She lived a full life & now she’s hung her boots.

Thank you for the love, our beautiful car. This is a memory capture for you. ????
.
#MommyingbabyT #ourcar #lovestory #valentinesday #storyofourlove #storyofourlife #ourfamily #redcar #swift #retiredcar #sustainable #memories #hereinmycar #garynuman #cars #farewell

Of Cake Toppers & Baby Names

What’s in a name? A lot, actually. People say your name defines you. It is your visiting card. It sets impressions even before people have met or interacted with you. I love my name. It is unique, uncommon and poetic. Nayantara is the apple of her mother’s eye and I think I am that. Nayantara has beautiful eyes and I have been told I have them. Nayantara is the name of a flower and I would like to believe that like the blue periwinkle, ‘Nayantara’ in Bangla, I too am low maintenance but spread a lot of cheer and brightness.

Continue reading

« Older posts

© 2023 Mommying BabyT

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑