On a weekend (FRIDAY and SATURDAY) morning, breakfast is a big deal in this household. Not that breakfast is given any less importance on other days, it is just that on weekends we have more time to enjoy it. (Read overeat)
The morning discussions and dialogues on such relaxing(???) weekends can get to be quite interesting. If you are a parent of a teenager, you would understand the feelings I go through on a daily basis. When the kids were younger, all I had to do was boss them around and tell them sweetly what to do. So “Brush you teeth properly”, “Go take a bath”, “Clean up your room”, “Keep your study table tidy”, “Eat your food”, etc. These were always either followed with total submission or just a few grunts.
Now that they are teenagers, I don’t get the same responses anymore. I get “Later Mom”, “What’s the big deal mom”, “I am busy”, “Let me finish this chapter”, “Let me complete this assignment”. More often than not, those things rarely get done in time. There is always a rush in the last minute to complete tasks in a real haphazard manner! “I told you so” is not as satisfying when you have to say it to your own kids as otherwise!
I choose to ignore the cluttered rooms and wardrobes, even though I spend most of the day at home. I wait for them to come back from school and find free time to clean up their own mess. The hubby on the other hand has an OCD. He can’t tolerate things out of place and untidy. He cleans them up! This is a topic that often leads to a fight! But yet, never seems to get resolved!
The kids need to learn responsibility. I always complain that whatever I say is always scorned at by all three of them. My gyan somehow is not heard or the thought process is never even appreciated at times. I tell them that in the future there is not going to be anyone to do these for you. The world is going in a direction in which everyone only cares for themselves. There is no guarantee about the kind of life partners they will end up with. No, I am not of the opinion that they can live their lives alone. I will never tell anyone I love to live their lives alone! Everyone needs a partner in crime… I mean life.
I had assumed that my advice and lecture falls on deaf ears. But this Saturday I realized to the contrary. They hear everything! They just choose what to learn from them!
The following are excerpts from the conversation:
The setting : The center table in front of the TV. All four having breakfast and watching the idiot box.
Son: Who finished the idlis?
Me: I had just three.
Daughter: *silence*
The Dad: “How many did you have?”
Son: Just six.
The Dad : *Stunned* And that’s not enough?
Son: I am a growing up boy, I need more food!
The Dad : *Giving me a smile * And you were worried they don’t hear anything you say.
Me : *Getting up to make more * Apparently, I should be selective while giving advice. :|
Daughter : *Grinning*
Me: *Suddenly remembering* There is no more batter!
Son : *Gets up to go to the kitchen*
Me: What???
Son: I am hungry, I am going to make maggi for myself, anyone else wants?
Me : *Grinning with pride at the husband*
Mission Accomplished? Naah…. still a loooooong way to go! 
* Maggi is not good for health
* Too much breakfast means a lot more exercise.
* Too much food will feel make you more sleepy. Especially during exams!
And so many more. I wonder how many times I have to keep saying these things to get even an iota of it drilled into their brains. This also has made me realize something utterly shocking. Mothers can be a dangerous lot. They have more power in their hands than they realize!
I sincerely hope I am using it wisely!
