On Rainbows,Fairies and being a Mom.

rainbow Pictures, Images and Photos

Children are great philosophers. It comes naturally to them I think, as their world view is original, often unique, not yet tainted by hard realities, failures, apathy, insensitivity, prejudice or worse, indifference that characterizes the world view of most adults.

Observing children and really listening to them and thinking about why they said certain things (Instead of just laughing and dismissing it as cute which is typically what we adults do) gives us a fresh different perspective to things. I am fortunate in that aspect as I have worked with children for many years and now I also have my own laboratory open 24 hours, seven days a week to study two children aged 10 and 7. :-) They accompany me everywhere I go, except to the loo. There too, if I am not out in five minutes I’ll have a voice pounding on the door impatiently, asking me “ Maaa—Are you in there ? When will you finish maaa? ” :-)

Both wanted to be a part of both my book launches and really enjoyed seeing a new avatar of their mom. Before the Bangalore book launch, I was a bit nervous as I had not yet met R.K.Misra who was to launch my book. I had not yet checked the arrangements at Crossword, and till the previous evening, the books had not arrived at Crossword too, though my publishers had sent them well in advance. The manager at Crossword was continuously checking with the Transporters and giving me updates. In between all this, there were many reporters from different newspapers calling me up for Interviews.


We took a flight from Pune to Bangalore the previous day, and suspended at 30,000 feet above sea level, somewhere between Pune and Bangalore, I forgot all my worries as I watched both my children. My daughter was very pre-occupied and was looking out of the window constantly as though she was searching for something.


“What are you looking at? Are you looking at the clouds?” I asked her.

“No mama.” She said “I am looking for God. My friend told me to watch out and that if I see God I have to tell her too.”

I smiled and let her be.

After a while I saw her opening her book to read.

“So did you see God?” I asked her.

She looked at me conspiratorially, smiled and pointed to her older brother. “He told me the truth.” She said.

“What did he tell you?” I asked

“You cannot see God.”

“Oh.” I said. “Maybe God is taking a nap. That’s why you cannot see him”

“No mama.” She said as though, she was an adult and I was the child “God does not live in the sky. That’s why you cannot see God.”


Later I asked my son what he had told her.

“The truth of course” he shrugged nonchalantly.

“And what is the truth?” I persisted.

His answer like many things he says, astounded me. He said “God is formless. He/She is just a higher power or positive energy. You cannot see God as God can be in any form, but you can feel it in your heart.”

I did not know what to say to that except nod in agreement.

Today while talking to my daughter, this discussion came up about the things that are in the sky. She said that God may not be in the sky but fairies definitely are there.

“How do you know? We haven’t seen them.” I countered using their own logic.

“That’s because they are on rainbows.” She said, “And when the rainbow is in the sky we are not on a plane. We are on the ground.”

Faultless logic.

“And what do fairies do in the sky?” I asked her.

“They ride their bicycles up and down on the rainbow.” She said without any doubt and without even a second’s delay.

I am sure she must have thought about it earlier.

Her brother wasn’t around and so he did not educate her.

And hey—who am I to deny a child her imagination, a lovely one at that?

If any of you happen to be on a plane and see a rainbow when you look out of the window, do watch out for the fairies riding their bicycles up and down.

And just in case you happen to see them, say a hello from my little girl down here.

Comments

  1. That is a lovely colorful imagination :)

    Anything for your cute lil girl. I'll definitely convey her hello if I happen to see fairies riding up and down the rainbow.

    I had written a post on rainbows last month.

    Click here to view the post.

    I am now trying to imagine fairies riding their bicycles on these rainbows :).

    Show these to your lil girl. Her spectrum of imagination might just widen.

    And your son is one smart kid.

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  2. Hey...rainbows do have fairies riding bicycles on them. I'm telling you. Its true. :)
    But next time i'll surely pass on P's hi to them..mayeb bring some sparkles along for her too.
    Happy Deepavali to all at home in Pune

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  3. Amazing kids...so thoughtful nd incredible imagination :)

    ..nd indeed...Faultless logic :D

    ***Observing children and really listening to them....gives us a fresh different perspective to things***

    really true..at times kids are so selfless that you wish...you can be like them...just like the blazer incident

    sometime back i heard a kid tellin how he wants her sister to go to school and get education..nd he himself was not more than 8 or 9

    Hey Happy Deepawali :) ... Wishing you many more bright and happy moments :)!

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  4. Wow thats beautiful imagination!!!

    And what a perfect explanation for why you can't see god!!!!

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  5. So cute. Loved this post. I do agree with you children, esp the new generation are reallys mart with a real good imagination.

    Though i don have my own kids yet, I have a 9yr old sister, and she outsmarts and outwits me and everyone at home with her opinions and suggestions

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  6. That's a lovely one. I'll surely check for the fairies next time when I see a rainbow :)

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  7. Such beautiful imagination!
    Brings a grin to your face. I love children! They ALWAYS make you fall in love with the world again no matter how much of a bad day you are having. I just started working with Special Needs children, though i have worked with them before, but lately its been on a daily basis and the joy of seeing them laugh or find little things amusing cant match anything in the world.

    Thanks for sharing this story with us!!

    -the other shru

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  8. The beauty in ur posts is, it always has some humour..
    Children are always on continuous learning curve. new thing every day.
    Unfortunately after some age we tend to compromise the facts for our needs.

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  9. :-) i wish it was that easy to give explanations to my bro whn he was a child :) nice imagination of kids :)

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  10. xh : heh heh--maybe he would not have believed you.

    Sunny Raju: Thank you.Some adults do not.That's why they never age.

    Other Shru:If you blog about it, i'll read!

    Dhanya:And dont forget to say a hello :)

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  11. Mush: :-) :-) Would love to meet her.


    Prats from pune: And so candid too!

    Prakhar: thanks so much--and wishing you the same from all of us.Did you read my reply about the card you gave my kids?

    Prats:A very happy diwali to you and your loved ones too. I wonder what fairies do when their bikes get a puncture--Ah-wave their magic wnds of course!:-)

    Varun:Saw the link u sent.They were two lovely pics--had left a comment--not sure if it went through.Till i read your post I had thought that the second image (which i had seen earlier) was photoshopped.

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  12. kids sure do hav wonderful untainted imagination like we adults na.....ur son is one smart one :) hehehe will defintly luk out for fairies and all
    Wishing u and ur family a very happy diwali

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  13. I blv in Santa Claus n the tooth fairy..i yet do...i really know they exist!

    The child's brain..its so amazing..so simple and uncomplicated are their thoughts!

    n wat ur son said about God...wooow..if only he could impart that knowledge to the million adults who are fighting over religion n rubbish of the kind!

    Happy Diwali to u n ur family!

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  14. Hi Preeti,

    Your kids are amazing....there are no bounds to their imaginations...and the kind of questions of they ask, I feel we should keep ourselves updated with so many things..to be able to answer them....
    One day we hope that your little fairy will see the fairy on the rainbow...riding the bi-cycle:):)

    Happy n Safe Diwali to You and ur wonderful family.

    Cheers,
    Raghu

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  15. arre haan I read it...but that post was blocked for comments :)..was waiting for u to write next post :D

    m glad they liked it :) ...i love my bookmark...I too missed my name written on it...I only saw that the next day :D

    I wud luv to meet them again sometime.(Write quickly :P)

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  16. hmm ur right, i know ur one :)
    To be honest i do compromise based on situations

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  17. Rainbows...fairies....God....it's obvious!!!!!Children see it all!!!

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  18. we believe in it too...tell her to be wary of the goblins... :)

    loved reading this..reminds me of my two...

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  19. Very charming imagination! It's great you are putting these little discussions into words, so they can read and remember after they are all grown up.

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  20. Children are always adorable..

    and these generation children are more informative too..
    i wonder what was my concept about GOD when i was ten years old..!!

    :)

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  21. Kids really say the most amazing things. My toddler can barely speak a word or two and he already surprises me :)

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  22. Hi Preeti,

    Your kids are real angels. The logic and a rare maturity in their relative thoughts indeed astound me.

    The divine pristinity in their thoughts and attitudes indeed speaks volume of their upbringing and reinforce the faith on the rationale of "Maatha, Pitha, Guru, Deivam". They will surely make you both proud of being their parents.

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  23. Next time I'll look for fairies when I'm in a plain :)

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  24. Anonymous2:16 PM

    That is cute... :)
    sply what Atu told about why we can't see God...

    u knw wat my first blog post was about rainbows...
    here ->
    http://www.dreamsnwords.blogspot.com/

    i forgot the password of tht blog and also have it here...

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  25. Children seem to possess a lot of creativity and imagination.They have a knack of thinking beyond the rational and logic bend.Bedtime stories and fairy tales provide them the gateway to dissolve their worries.Anyway I think learning children is fun and they serve as good and effective stress busters.-:)

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  26. wow!!! tell ur daughter she is a fairy herself... and where she will ride her bicycle will turn into a rainbow...

    smart kids u have :)

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  27. Chooooooo Chweeeeeet :-D is the first thing that comes to my mind. I feel that even though kids might not be able to express themselves as well as adults but they are definitely more intelligent than most adults, in a very worldly wise way, since they've just been in touch with the Divine. Interacting with them and feeling what they feel is like a return to innocence. Brilliant piece :-)

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  28. been raining here in Kerala... can see the rainbow outside , but sorry, no fairies.... though I think I saw Elvis... Any message for THE KING ?

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  29. Thats why they say the world looks so different thru the eyes of a child :)
    Cheers,
    Balu

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  30. omg!! what a powerful n cute imagination, would luv to meet your children smtime :)

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  31. Anonymous10:43 PM

    That is true.. and seriously like ur lil girls idea of fairies..
    will surely watch out for them

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  32. Anonymous10:46 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  33. Dodi2all: Not very bright,are we?

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  34. Preeti: :-)

    Balu: Oh yes--it surely does.

    Roshan: oh yes--please ask him to sing "Let me be your teddy bear" :-)

    Stillness speaks:Thanks.We chall meet soon :-)

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  35. Monika:Did tell her and she smiled :-)

    Sushobhan:I agree fully.

    Tessie writes:Funnily one of my initial posts were about rainbows too!

    Manasa:And do convey the hellos :)

    Hari: thanks for your kind words and surely hoping they come true.

    SS: Oh yes--they surprise you so much.

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  36. Vinz: yep--brighter than we were at their age i guess.

    Bindu: Worth recording, i guess.

    Suma: :-) Dont want to scare her with the Goblins.

    Niall: Oh yes--they do!

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  37. Prakhar: Smiling a big smile after reading your last line :)

    Raghu:Thanks for those warm wishes--and wish u and your loved ones the same.

    Sunny Raju: Don't know--if u say so!

    Pavi:Wish you the same!! I think most kids his age will say the same thing. if only adults were as wise.

    Enigma:Wish you the same!!

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  38. Kids are amazing and something like this always makes you think differently. No wonder they say child is the father of man.

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  39. Absolutely loved this post! My favorite of yours so far (I havent read all the archives). Write more entries about your children and what they say... it can really cheer anyone up!

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  40. Cris: Thanks.Will do :) They are all filed under 'Mama moments'

    Satish: father and mother ;-)

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  41. Incredibly smart!!! But doesn't surprise me anymore. :)

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  42. Oh I love your Mama posts :)

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  43. Devil Mood:Thank you

    Pranay: :-)

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  44. Neo: More than imitation (which is what most adults think)it is by observation and analysis that children learn.Adults make them conform which is sad.WE will have this discussion when you have kids of your own.Till then, just take my word for it :)

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  45. children are the truest philosophers ever...I guess the corruption that taints our grownup minds haven't touched them yet...

    Calvin remains an eternal favorite of mine... :-)

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  46. :) I would really love to meet your kids if and when you come down to Chennai for the launch.

    pls pls let me know i also would love to have a bookmark :) made by them ....

    She has amazing imagination ateh truth in her is what is seen from her talks. Surely i would agree with her all the more because i believe in fairies , i believe in ears that universe has .. :) my recent post was on that ..

    Your kids are amazingly lovely and cuddly ....

    A big hi to them ..

    and most important you have brought that out very beautifully .. :) take care

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  47. How sweet! I shall definitely say hello :-)

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  48. Sweet.
    I have a 9 year old brat of a nephew whom I raised for some time...and a 6 months old niece who's fast getting inspired by her brother...so I get to do this a lot :D
    Its one of the best things around.

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  49. For Ji mantriji... look at the numbers closely...they represent some series. And the source page gives a clue as to which mantri they're looking for :D

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  50. hi,
    i ve posted pics of the real rainbow in my blog.
    do i see fairies in it?
    i should ask my little son about it..and may be ur daughter...
    as I am an adult (not a child).

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  51. The read reminded me of several such talks of my daughter (now 21) when she was in first standard. One is that when her teacher asked some students in her class to bring thr parents to collect the lumpsum grant money . First she wanted to know why she is not given grant like that. When I described the reason, she wanted to know how they identify the reserved castes, whether by a blood test. I had no answer as the question was logical and the right answer I had to give was so illogical.

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  52. Annie: What a pertinent question your little one asked! Thanks for visiting and thank for commenting.

    Uma: I too have posted pics of a rainbow clicked by me.Its in my archives.

    Meira;yep--got that..Prime.But prime minister? Tried that, tried manmohan singh.. Still trying.:)

    Chitra: :-)

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  53. Harish: Mine too! I love Calvin. (But only in a comic book) :-)

    Meenu: Lets see!!

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  54. You have amazing kids Preeti and with thoughts like that, it's almost as if God resides in them.

    I must say, your son is an amazing brother to his sister, I now even more miss the fact that I don't hv one :( :D

    Lotsa luv to them and you're one lucky mama :D

    P.S: As I was reading your post I was almost imagining fairies riding bicycles and a backdrop of the rainbow. Wow!

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  55. really impressive!

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  56. Dats really cute n so good to hear. Im glad kids r kids!! P do give a hug to ur kids from me plzzz. n keep writing!

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  57. It is nice that your Kid realised that GOD is formless...We are in a fix with my daughter..she was pestering that she wants a brother/sister..so we told pray to GOD , he/she will grant..after seeing her friends get, but not her..she says , why GOD hates me, eventhough i am a good girl...

    yes in their world, tooth fairy and santa claus live..

    - sunder

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  58. yes indeed! who are we to deny them their hopes and imagination! :)

    i have a feeling th fairies might be refreshing the colours as they bicycle across the rainbows! :)

    and your son spoke the truth! ultimate truth that all of us need to understand! :)

    cheers!

    abha

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  59. mama-mia:wow!fairies refreshing the colours--i can just picture that too!

    Sunder:well--mebbe you can tell her that God sometimes wants us to be patient.

    Pai:Will surely do!

    Deeps:Thanks :)

    Still thinking: oh--they are just like any other kids--will write a post about that sometime :)

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  60. :) that's so cute :)
    I remember having been a philosopher as a child :P I used to go an 'educate' my mom on worldly matters, how to deal with people, how empathetic we should be.. how less to expect from ppl.. all this as a child. Thinking of it now, my mom must've been very amused at that time =))

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  61. I hope that when I have kids, they have the rich imagination and touching innocence that your little girl does. :)

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  62. she does hv a gr8 imagination...its been really long since i've seen a rainbow though...

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