Kids...

Few days back I was talking to my UK based boudi (brother's wife/bhabi)... Asked her about Diya (their daughter)...

Bhabs : Diya's got a boyfriend...

Me: Whaaaaaaaaat?? [You must be thinking - so what? Whats the big deal?? Well... Diya is only five years old !!! See, even you are saying "Whaaaaat?" now!!!]

Bhabs: Yes..His name is Pawan... One day Diya came home and told me "Mom, do you know Pawan reaaaaaally loves me?" I felt like smiling, but I didn't.. Without any expression, I asked her "How do you know?" Diya said "Pawan asked me to to marry him" (One can very well imagine boudi's expression now..) She asked "What did you reply?" Diya cool answer -"I said yes"

Me: (I was almost rolling on the ground!!) I saw this girl being born & now she's talking of getting married?!!! Oh my God!!!

Bhabs: Wait...There's more to this "love story".. Pawan is a Keralite Christian & as you know we are Bengali Brahmins... One day Pawan asked his mom -"Mom, how can Diya and I get married.. My God is Jesus & her God is Krishna?"

Me: [Speechless..Amazed at such realization at such young age]

Bhabs: As if this wasn't enough, listen to realization number 2....Diya comes and asks me - "When I get married to Pawan, will I have to go and live in South India"?

Me: I just don't believe this!!! But cant stop laughing!!!

Bhabs: Yes.. just imagine... your brother tells me why don't you shut her up when she says these things?? I tell him that its a momentary thing.. She will forget abut these things soon...[Hope so]

I narrated Diya's love story to everyone at home... Its really hard to believe that the baby who grew up in front of our eyes -saw her take the first step, hear her first words.... She couldn't pronounce "Pishi" (that's what she's supposed to call us... It means aunt (father's sister).. She used to go the veranda (we stay on the floor above them) & call "peeee "" or "sheee", but never the two together!! The girl who used to listen to stories & then narrate her own version... In her stories there was always an elephant.. monkey, lion were the other characters... Even if there were humans in it, everybody somehow had to land up in the jungle....In each story somebody used to slap the other at the end... Mind it, each time we had a different ending with a different character getting slapped by a different character !!! The girl who used to smile coyly whenever the word "marriage" was mentioned, without even knowing the meaning of the word.. Or did she know it?!!!

That girl has grown up so much?? Has she graduated from fairy tales and made up stories to the hard realities of life??? She has come to realize the difference in religion, geographies...How do kids even get these ideas? From what they hear from here and there?? Or is it the effect of TV, soaps, movies? I have got no clue...I don't remember I had any ideas like these when I was five years old!!! I don't think I had ANY idea!!! Or nowadays kids are simply born intelligent?? I dread what my kids will say... Just give me the information -"Mom I got married".. God please give me the strength to absorb that !!!!

I just hope kids never ever lose their innocence... Its our job as adults/parents to shield them from the harsh realities of life...They have their rest of the lives to face those and overcome them...So for the time being, let them be the way they are- cute, adorable & innocent...