Conversation with My Six Year Old
“Amma, what do you want to be when you grow up?” She asks.
“I am already grown up.” I reply.
“But, what do you want to do?” She clarifies.
I think for a while. “I am a mother.”
“No, no. What work do you want to do?” She is getting a little impatient.
“I used to work in a bank and now I stay at home to take care of you and your little brother. Taking care of the family is work too.” I smile.
“Like I want to be a cake decorator, what would you like to do when you grow up?” The influence of watching Masterchef. Also, I clearly needed to brush up some parenting tactics. She refuses to register that I am a grown up.
“I am trying to be a writer and hopefully soon, a published author.” I change course.
“Will you be famous?” She is all bright eyed with excitement. “Will you make lots of money?”
I don’t want her to have high expectations and be let down.
“One can never say. I will do my very best, but someone has to agree to publish my novel. Then, many people have to buy copies. I want to be a writer because I love to write, not just to make money. We can never be sure of how things will happen in the future…”I trail off, thinking of all the complexities of marketing and luck working together.
“Will you be famous or not?” She still expects a clear answer.
I quickly make up my mind, “Yes, I will be famous.” My eyes mirror the shine in hers.
Yes, dreaming is much more fun than being realistic. It makes this long journey of writing a novel more pleasant.
Just as I start wondering how I can slip in a lesson on acting and not just dreaming, she sternly asks me,
“So, how many words have you written today?”
what a brilliant 6 yr old! My friend was just saying the other day about children being evolved beings! They so are. This was such a lovely read. THanks!
Thanks, Aarathi. Yes, children have such clear insight. Then there are times when you wonder how an angel could make a swift 180 degree shift.
You don’t need any organiser or timetable or motivating factor or a taskmaster. Your 6-year-old is there. Gosh ! She sounds like my niece at that age who would be watching me edit documents and try to sneak in reading a book or something else in between pages. She would always ask, with hands on her hips: “How many pages have you done?”
Ha ha. I can picture your niece playing schoolmarm.
This is so very sweet. This child will grow up to great things.She is a “Thinker” and an “Achiever ” too it seems.You both will inspire each other …but yes she has to know …you are “grown up “some and she is “growing up”.
This “growing up “is a process ..which reveals wisdom and maturity ,with the passage of time.
Thanks for such a good read.
Thanks for your good wishes, Crystal.
Smart kid. Glad the conversation was not the other way round. It might have ended up as in a joke I had read.
Dad: Son, when Jawaharlal Nehru was your age he always stood first in his class.
Son: Dad. when Nehru was your age he was the PM of India.
Oh yes, we have had those too!
Your 6 year old is a hard task master
keeping you on your toes 
And she believes in my abilities even more than I myself do. Big motivation, that.
Smart little thing … innocent too!
Nuances don’t work with kids – you’ve got to tell them like it is.
To an adult I can say “I’ll be back in a minute” and take 2-3, but with kids you better mean it … my nephew who is 10 starts a countdown every time I say “be back in a minute”.
Enjoyed this post.
So true. Thanks for your comment.
When your book gets published, i think she deserves the section ‘Dedicated to…’ that comes on Page 1
I started planning that page even before I planned the story completely,
. I also threaten to leave my husband out of the acknowledgements.
LOL!
So when your book gets published, we know who made it happen! Children can dream but they are also rooted in reality, aren’t they?
Thanks Zephyr and Jaish for saying ‘when’ and not ‘if’.
First time on your blog through link from Zephyr! Enjoyed reading this innocent post thorouhly:) Hope to read your book some time soon as dreams become reality too!
Thanks so much, Rahul!
That was lovely! Made me nostalgic…
Thanks, Phatichar.
so sweet …nothing like having a daughter ..right ??
…
kids! they are never short of questions!!
Wow ! That sure reminds of my son.. who wants to know why I have left my job and doing ‘timepass’ at home
hehehehe…………. talk about being clear headed! Thats a brilliat 6 year old you have there
… and yes, dreaming beats the heck out of reality. Amen to that!