Why Men Stink at Negotiations

Maybe an addendum to  'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus', and adding fuel to this debate on Today.com, but this is definitely a place that brings out a stark contrast.

We women, master the art of bargaining, and working around problems from the get go. It's in the DNA. Men, need a straightforward solution, most of the times, and like all theories, this little one, also comes with exceptions.

When I tell Driti about the consequences of her action, she knows I'll follow through; and knock on wood, I haven't had to follow through a lot many times, simply because she listens to me.

Ady on the other hand, is the softer parent. He hates it that I'm behind her all the time, and admittedly so, so he tries to be the 'cool dad' and the 'my best friend -dad' kinda parent.

Just for one day, I let Ady have his way and getting through to his daughter. Mamma, had a vacation upstairs so to say. Within minutes, I heard loud clatter followed by Ady's screams. "Driti, why did you drop all your colors and books down? And why is the water spilled?"

"It fell Papa" came a nonchalant voice.
Ady must've started cleaning up, 'cause I heard another round of "Driti, I am cleaning, why are you dropping your sketch pens down?"
No answer.

So Ady decided to take things in his own hands. It was his work day, and he was working from home. This was his break time - he had 15 minutes to get back to his laptop. He was all dressed, so he could've as well decided to ditch his idea of working from home and go to office.

"Driti", he said "I will give you five minutes. If you don't pick up the mess you've made, I'll go to my office"
"I don't want you to go to office Papa"
"Ok, then clean up"
No movement in the direction of the mess. NO retribution and hence no picking up the sketches.
Ady did not know what to do, the five minutes were running over.
"Driti, do you want Papa to go to office?"
"No Papa", pat came the reply
"Then why are you not cleaning up? I'll go to office"
"You won't go Papa"
"Why do you think so?" he asked. How could she possibly know? " See, I am wearing my work clothes?"
"Yes Papa. But you're not wearing your shoes!"

The Case of the Missing Maamas

I am trying to feed Driti and she's dodging me as always.
"Driti, you know something?" I try to engage her. " When Sreeram Maama was small, he used to trouble kollu paati a lot"
"Really?" She's surprised somebody else also troubled the elders in the family.
"Yes. He always used to trouble Kollu paati. He never used to eat, and kollu paati used to run after him saying 'Saapadra, 'saapadra' and Sreeram Maama used to say, 'Naa sapada maaten po'"
Driti burst out laughing, gulping a few more spoons down. "Sreeram Maama was very naughty when he was a kid" I added.
"Like Vijay Maama?"
"No, Vijay Maama was very nice. He never troubled anybody. Even Roohi Maami?" Now I don't know about Roohi Maami, although I tend to believe that the answer was probably negative, but I erred on the side of caution - for myself ofcourse - so she doesn't draw from the actions of her predecessors. "No Driti, even Roohi Maami was very nice. She was not naughty"
"Then Arun Maama is also nice?"
"Yes. He is and he used to eat bananas everyday. That's why he's so strong and intelligent"
"Like me?"
"Yes. Take another bite now"
"Arun Maama, is Geeta Maami's husband? She also eats bananas?"
"Yes" I hope Geeta you do, if not, please start eating now.
"I have soooo many Maamas and Maamis?"
"Yes Driti. But there is no Siddu Maami?"
"No. Siddu Maami will come soon"
"She's in Makkayala Makkayala"
"Oh, you're talking about that Siddu Maama? No, even there, that Makkayala aunty is not your Maami. You can ask him when you meet"
"What is his mother's name?"
"Padma"
"No, she keeps calling me 'chellam?'"
"Oh ho.. you're confusing two Siddu Maamas.  You did not meet the Makkayala Siddu Maama,, you'll meet him in April when we go to visit him. The Nimmu Paati Siddu was in India"
"Yes. I like him. But if I have so many Maamas and Maamis, why are they not coming to meet me?"
Now I managed somehow - but you owe it to your niece. Why not?

And We're in Seattle

'It's bright and sunny appa. Don't know why everybody was scaring me that the whether is going to be wet wetter and a little more wet" I remember telling my father when we landed here. "Good. Hope it stays this way" he'd reacted. Two months in and it seemed routine. Bright sun, felt like we were back in Hyderabad. We spoke to Mom and Dad on a regular basis, so the only thing missing seemed mom's specialty idlis.

Yesterday, our friends said, "Welcome to Seattle" The blinds were down, so did the honors, pulled it up and played the whole dramatic scene. 

"Wow, it's so pleasant" Ady reacted. "Let's go out once the roads dry up a little" I said. 

"Sure, then let's wait for eight more months" our friends seemed to be waiting to make that statement. 

So looks like the magic spell that we brought with us from Hyderabad has finally worn off. We're now living in a tap. The bright side of it, it's only leaky and does not go full throttle. 

D looked out the window and started singing "Itsy bitsy spider". She's still singing. Eight more months babe, and we'll be right out the spout.  Till then, it's this