Dear Child of Mine,

I can see you cringe at the thought of being called a child. But you will always be a child to me. And believe me, the more you age, the more you will long to be a child again.

You are entering a new phase of your life – motherhood. The days will seem crazy initially. And it will seem like all you do is look at your baby, feed him and clean him. There will be times when you will really be sick of it all. But it is all part of the experience. Gradually, you will overlook what seems to be the ‘nasty’ stuff. The moment when your baby gurgles, curls its fists, and smiles up at you, you will feel like you own the Crown Jewels.

I went through a similar experience with you. And the thing I cherished most was our bedtime rituals. I used to be dog tired by the time I got home from work. Cooking dinner, serving it, cleaning up after every one took my last ounce of strength out of me. And then finally, I could take you in my arms. Bath time came first, so that you could enjoy some sweet dreams.

I filled a tub with warm water, and put your toys in the tub. You used to cry out otherwise. Then I would gently place you in the water and soap you up with the baby soap. You used to cry when the soap went into your eyes – there was no ‘no tears’ soap or shampoo at the time – but then you started enjoying bath time. As you got older, you loved dropping the soap into the bath water. We used to play a game where we searched for the soap that was hiding, like pee-ka-boo with the soap. That made you laugh a lot.

After toweling you dry, I used to dust you with some powder, and dress you in thin, soft muslin. It helped against rashes and the heat. Story time came next. There are some stories which have been passed down in our family. My mother told me those, and I told you the same ones. I don’t know how much you understood as a baby. Maybe it was just the time spent with me that you enjoyed. You played with your toes and laughed, as I told you about the king with the two wives, and the little child Dhruv who became a star.

As you started getting drowsy, I used to sing a lullaby. It was more like humming because I don’t have a good voice. By this time, I used to be so exhausted that I don’t remember who went to sleep first – you or me. But it was a happy exhaustion.

The moment I closed my eyes, your cries would wake me up. You see, you would wet your diaper in the night. Those were the days of cloth diapers. Nappies, we called them. I had to tie a new nappy around you and hum a tune again. Cloth nappies kept you wet and gave you rashes.

At least, you won’t have that problem now with the new Pampers diapers you use. They keep your baby dry for a long time so he can sleep peacefully. And so can you!!

Cherish these moments with your baby. He will be walking soon, and will fly away in no time!

Hope my motherly advice helps.

Love,

Mom