This is how we do it!

Taekwondo is a Korean martial arts form. Contrary to Kung fu - the martial art form from China, Taekwondo focuses more on kicks than on hand movements. 

DD and I do one of these two forms of martial arts. Watching DD, I am pretty confused which. We are both yellow belts now. Her yellow is a darker shade than mine, so she says its closer to orange and so she's more qualified than I am. 

A typical day at our martial arts class begins with us walking in - sorry my walking in and her prancing in. The day she isn't prancing, the master gets worried. "Is everything OK with you, you didn't twirl and announce your entrance."

We need to change into our uniforms - I take 2 mins, she takes, 7 minutes - 3 minutes to talk and report her day at school to the Master, 2 minutes to prance into the changing room and hear my lecture on the importance of 'hurrying up' to class and 2 more minutes to actually change. 

"Line up" the Master announces. DD doesn't walk to her spot, as you may have already guessed, she twirls up to it. 

There's a break after every move, because DD has some observation that she absolutely has to make, "Master, your pinky is sticking out", she'll correct the teacher or "One inch lower", she'll tell the whole class when we are doing our stretches. 

She uses her hands a lot, the tiniest person in class, that's the only way she can meet any of us half way. Her kicks start with plies. Her hand moves have a musical twirl to them and she keys up at the end of her forms and moves in an orchestral note. While the rest of us shout, "Haai!", she sings, "Haaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiii."

The Master is always amused with her, but DD does her forms and moves well, its just the background score that's not in line with the main performance. "She'll learn, she's only in kindergarten" the Master justifies.

I would have believed that, had a similar thing not happened in her tennis class. All ready positions were different plies. She dressed up in jingling skirts and flowing dresses for a tennis class. The coach would watch her twirl and spin and come to her position. "Give us a a big hit!" he'd say and she'd dance back and forth and hit the ball, well, just about touch it, and twirl and smile and sing and go back to her place. "Well, she's only 4." the coach would say. 

"So how was class today" Ady would ask and she'll say, "Good!"
"Did she dance?" Ady will turn to me and ask.
"Did the Sun rise from the East today?" I'll respond.

"This is how we do it, Mamma" she'll say when I try correcting her. The 'we' of course is just her.

I'm just going on a wild guess here, but I think, I think,  my daughter likes ballet and if there's a ballet-fu or a  ballet-do or a ballet- tennis, she'll ace it!

(Image Courtesy: khongkitwiriyachan/freedigitalphotos.net)

Changing Priorities

Spring Break was a welcome breather. After the hectic curve balls from life, the few days off our routine was surely something we could use.

We wanted to go to a place that D would appreciate too. But a lot of fun for her meant not so much for us. Disney Land, Disney World or any other place starting with a Disney was out of question. Especially since the trailer of one of the most dreaded movies is out - yep Frozen. 

So we headed out to a water theme park after enjoying the Tulip festival. 

"What is the best vacation you've ever had?" Ady decided to ask toward the end of the trip. 

"You mean in my whole entire life?" D answered. 

"Yes, of course, your whole entire life." 

"India!" She answered. "I love going to India."

"Why?" Of course the father wanted to know all the reasons. "Is it because it is shiny and sparkly and has great clothes or is it because of your family?"

"It is because of my family in shiny bright clothes" came the reply. You ask a leading question, you get an expected reply. 

"Mamma, what about you?" D wanted to know.

"I love camping."

"Why?" Now she wanted to know my reasons. 

"Because its just 'us' time, and we get to talk and sing and dance..."

"And there's no internet..." Ady added.

"But there is no internet." D almost added at the same time. 

"What?" both Ady and I were shocked. "What did you say?"

"There is no internet. How will we play games, watch movies?"

"It is exactly why we like camping" Ady said. 

"No, I mean Mamma works on the internet too, so..." 

As usual, we were rendered speechless. It is the generation of sparkles, shiny clothes and the internet. 

The Option of Adoption

D never finishes her lunch. She says the lunch break is too small and she can't finish her food on time. 
"What exactly do you do at lunch?" I asked her. 
" I eat." She said as a matter-of-fact. 
"And?"
"I talk."
"Of course. How much do you talk?"
"I talk a lot and eat a little."
"You know what?" Her father interrupted. "How about you take 15 bites and then carry on talking? That way, you don't have to stop when you're eating and you don't have to eat when you're talking?"

"Sounds like a good idea!" I cheered. "Then I'll also keep a Tic-Tac so you can eat as soon as you finish your 15 bites."
"But what if I eat the Tic-Tac before I take the 15 bites." She wanted to know.
"I trust you. You won't."
"But what if I tell you I ate and then not eat it?"
"You won't. Because you don't lie."
"But what if I lie."
"You won't, you're my daughter."
"You'll see with your invisible eye, because you are always watching me?" she asked in all earnest. That was a trick I developed to avoid having to stare at her paintings over and over and over. "I can see what you are doing. I always see you." 
Thankfully for me, I was right about what she was drawing and could guess without having to look back. Rapunzel with long flowing hair. 

"I won't even try." I said. "I completely believe you."
"But what if I lie?" she wanted some kind of assurance that I was watching over her.
"Your conscience won't let you. Because it will keep telling you that you are doing the wrong thing."
"But what if I don't have a conscience?"
"That's not possible with my daughter." I said, as the father started moving uncomfortably on his chair. "My daughter never lies."
"So I can't come back? I'll be somebody else's daughter? Somebody will adopt me?"

"No. Nobody adopts a liar."
"But how will they know I lied? They are not you."
"They will. A liar always gets caught."
"But what if I don't? Will they adopt me?"
"Do you want to get adopted?" the girl's father wanted to know.
"No. But I want to know who'll take care of me, if I am not your daughter."
"You know there's a simpler solution to it" the father became nervous.
"What? I tell Mamma not to tell them that I lied?" She wanted to know if that was an option.
"No. You just eat your lunch and not lie."
"But what if I do?"....

That went on for a while. We were having dinner as we were discussing these scenarios. As usual, after about an hour at the dining table - she hadn't finished her food.