Chronicles of a new father: Beware, your child is growing!

It was 2 AM in the night. Our first born who was hardly 4 months old was feeling quite restless. Actually, it was difficult to interpret who was more restless, him or us parents. While he was crying incessantly, we were trying to figure out the problem and the possible solutions. The situation was eerily like giving a board exam (definitely mathematics paper). You had prepared for the entire paper and then there comes this trick question for which you have no answer. What does one do in those moments – express surprise and curse the examiner, tuition teacher & self for not anticipating it, start sweating, signal here and there for help, peep in the answer sheet of the candidate in front of you and when nothing happens, just pray and make a fluke attempt.

The situation unravelled in a similar manner.

‘I told you not to put on the AC. He’s got a cold and there’s nose blockage that’s making him cry’.

‘Of course, not! We put on the AC every day. I don’t think you managed to get him burp enough after his feed. It’s my mistake, why do I rely on you?’

After few minutes of cursing and blaming, we realised the situation was not getting any better. We resorted to the next course of action – seeking help. Google (2G days), mothers, friends, urgent SMS to paediatrician and even my father who was deep asleep came into the picture. The advices ranged from ignoring it for some time, taking the baby for a round, putting a small bag of ajwain on the stomach, giving steam to de-clog the throat and even going for a car ride at that hour for a change in environment.

I don’t specifically remember what happened next but I do remember the ending. After 45 minutes’ odd, our son slept peacefully. Such situations and especially the ending repeated itself during the gamut of growing up phase that is till 5 years of age. It led to a few learning.

Don’t mess with your destiny.

Jitni likhi hai naseeb main, utni hi milegi (You’ll get as much as you deserve). What? The answer is a word that we abused when we had it in abundance during our childhood days, we misused during boring lectures, we avoided when the entire world was using it to roam around with friends and be glued to the phone muttering sweet nothings to our sweethearts. Sleep. Your kid will determine how much you sleep and the quality of your sleep. Imagine this is a question paper that is filled with trick questions!

Stop believing in concepts called work-life balance.

Not only is the question paper filled with trick questions but there is negative marking too. So, inadvertently you would end up carrying work to home and home to work. There would be times when you would pray for Monday to come soon as weekends get hectic and stressful. Your kid may appear like a monster at times who is forever seeking your attention and surprisingly never low on energy while you dissipate energy just like a traveller in the Sahara-desert who is tired, thirsty and directionless and looking for any sahara possible.

Be fevicol

Yet, at the end of the day, the innocent smile, the warm hug and those pranks make up for lost sleep, tired limbs and a tired mind. The first dance show, the first sports day, annual day and even the crying while going to school for the first time remains etched in your memory forever;. It is important to tell your mind, heart and all those wretched limbs of your body to hold together and stay put as this phase though a roller-coaster ride is probably the best phase of your life.

Don’t wait to enjoy for the next phase – the ‘gone case’ phase.