Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The Gentleman and The Banshee

He is suave and cultured. She is hot and fiery. He quietly charms friends and foes alike with an easy smile and practiced grace. She spits fire at anyone trying to get too close. He is a hot favorite among anyone who knows him. She...well, let's just say diplomatically that....she inspires mixed feelings.

No, I am not talking about the lead pair in some fanciful Mills&Boon novel but about my own two children. It never ceases to amaze me that two human beings, both spawned by me and both brought up in near similar conditions can be so completely different. I have seen it with other people. The husband himself, born the youngest of three, is completely different from the other two. And yet, this phenomenon among my own kids, so young at that, always fascinates me.

Kuttan was a much easier child. To take care of, to manage, to take out on vacations, to put to sleep, to love. The princess on the other hand, has taken it upon herself to make this parenting gig as difficult for me as possible. She screams at any alleged opposition and, quite literally, spits on people's faces. The other small kids in the apartment have taken to hiding from her as she unleashes her fury dispassionately on all. Disciplining by stern words, a teeeeny bit of spanking or ignoring have, so far, only seemed to aggravate the problem. The husband swears she needs to go to school pronto and have some discipline beaten into her. I, on the other hand, hesitate, loath to snuff out that glorious spirit of hers.

And yet, it seems as though nature has given me its own version on Yin and Yang- a perfect harmony in my two kids. When I am being too harsh with kuttan during study time, as his gentle eyes cloud with tears, his own Banshee comes screaming at me waving her chubby little arms and speaking furious gibberish. It saves me from my uncontrollable rage and makes kuttan smile again. When she misbehaves in the playground, beats up too many kids and is being cornered by older kids, still standing defiantly, with UTTER disregard to her size, very close to being beaten up, I see kuttan walking up to her and gently leading her by the arm off the scene. Nobody else, not even the husband or I, can calm the princess in situations such as these. And so the days pass, with me being a spectator witnessing the shaping of two adults. I hope their love for each other grows and stands strong all through their lives. Love you me babies!! You make my life so much richer!

10 comments:

Deepti said...

very nice post...yes a strong bond between the siblings is very very important...you should post more frequently..like your posts....:)

Sumana said...

So true na. Since i do not have siblings and neither does my hubby, we are just amazed at how affectionate they can be towards each other. She is still too small to understand what she is doing and i bet ya the second ones are lot more violent then the first.

Just Like That said...

you know what... after reading this, I can kind of visualize the pair of them as grown ups, with their own families and the works, but still as close as ever...
Uncanny.

Just Like That said...

you know what... after reading this, I can kind of visualize the pair of them as grown ups, with their own families and the works, but still as close as ever...
Uncanny.

mnamma said...

Such a heart-warming post!! Love your fiesty, spunky daughter and your adorable/gentle son!! God Bless them both!!

noon said...

Cute! :) Same here. They are so different in so many ways yet they complement each other in so many ways. Just amazing to see the bond develop.

noon said...

Post post post please!

Domesticated Bachelor said...

Wandered in here from Maddy's place.
Loved your post...it simply is beautiful... and being the youngest of 3 siblings, I know what you mean...

Aparna said...

Hello, Have tagged u in my latest post. Just a headsup and hope u will post something :)

Mama - Mia said...

OMG! what a pleasure it is to read you BM! :) this was a gorgeous post! the kind that warms the cockles of your heart! esp now that i have one each of my own! :D

hugs to the gentleman and the banshee! cant wait to see them!