Travel Diaries of a Tornadoes Mother

We are back, and i mean , from a holiday.Travelling is such a pleasure, its such a delight, its so rejuvenating, it charges you, it thrills you, it...CRAP !!!

Try travelling with a 3 year old tornado of a toddler and you will never eye a travel opportunity in the Utopian bubble, it has always been put in.When G and I got married, much like the fancy trend these days, we too went by The Great Dalai Lamas view that every year travel a place you have never been before.Just pack your bags and tank up and drive, follow the mountains, chase a thunderstorm,get drenched under the waterfalls,drive through the clouds, dont even bother about your car. Infact we were the kind of couple who gifted each other holidays, who invested in a good audio system in the car when the gold rates fell, while the world slept on weekends , we charted our next travel plan !

And today, i just finished washing a load of clothes, that stained of chocolate milk and smelt like the Devils breath , i threw away my newest pair of Wayfarers, since it was now in 3 pieces, i am still trying to figure out how did my earings pierce the toothpaste tube, i remembered having left my earings in my purse, how did it reach my suitcase, i am not sure. Somewhere between the cab ride to checking in the luggage..like i say miracles happen.

I envy anyone of you here, whose going to stay i love walking down in my heels,or if someone says i forgot to match my lipstick to my shirt , or better still..i need to decide which handbag to carry while travelling. Welcome to the world of a travelling toddlers mother !

We dont plan our clothes or lipstick, we wear whatever our hands get ironed and clean just in time to reach the airport. We thank the inventor of leggings, its like a push up bra for your butt .And oh yes, handbag ?? we have mastered the art of carrying the diaper bag with perfect poise to shame a Paris Hilton. And let me give out a secret here, G too has given up his prohibitions of carrying a pink peony printed diaper bag ..i must say he looks dapper no matter what ! And common, EVERY married woman in the airport eyes the man sighing, would her man carry a diaper bag ! Well thats G for you.

Remember how we made notes and revised, made bullet points, stuck reminder notes during exams, it doesnt change much darling. We are armed with a list of reminders the night before and a back up of reminders too. And with Keya, we carry not just medicines, but prescriptions and the medical file..the child has a natural knack to fall sick.Food ..aah here comes my favorite, and i know many of you will judge me but lets be honest, would you eat your daal roti when the world has to offer Pasta, when the lounge smells of Dominoes will you bite into a khaakra, when you see the bright dispaly of a Zinger burger who has the will power to settle for homemade food..I dont !! Keya is allowed fries, pizza, nooodles and..cold coffee it ensures she is happy, it ensures she is sitting at one place and it also ensures we are clutching a paper bag with us everywhere..remember i told you she excels at throwing up..unexpectedly .

And who doesnt like dressing up their child..and mine being a Pink hoarder, its bliss, so we match shoes watches clips, and what not ..oh ya sometimes glares too if sunny ! We also carry a teddy bear wearing pink nught cap and carrying a pink blanket. Oh but heres the twist to my tale, just when you thought little girls are all about frills and ribbons ..if you find a girl rolling on the floor, holding on to her fathers leg and sliding on the floor,jumping from one chair to another, shouting rhymes loudly in the business class lounge..please please dont judge such parents.They are normal people, like me who believe in the fact that a child is to be a child.

The next frontier i shiver thinking about is the final security check.You are poised in the line walk in to the curtained counter hand over the boarding pass to the lady officer in charge and then the thing beeps ,just near your daughters pockets..I wish i could have explained to the officer, she is not carrying a bomb, but i have already been judged for not checking, how does my daughter carry my nail filer in her pocket..i have no clue !And now that you are already under suspicion, the teddy is also asked to pass through the scanner, even though its got its own cabin luggage tag..I dont know how God gives me strength, but i do snatch teddy from a wailing child, a visibly irritated officer and pass it through the scanner.

Onboard,we have different strategies for landing take off and during flight hours.Landing take off require Snickers, Lays, all the food group categorised as junk. Like i said, common its allowed, if it prevents popping ears, i will do anything, i am that kind of a mother.Its only during flight hours, we have uninterrupted, encouraged usage of mobile phones,ipads etc ! If it keeps her busy, its a hit !

And somewhere in between this madness, we manage cuddles cuz its cold in the plane, we manage a selfie cuz we need to send pictures back home , somewhere amid this madness we learn new words, we understand that clouds are not just puffs of cotton, we promise next time we will touch the rainbow, we learn about sharing a cold coffee , we see how sometimes its OK to let your child be one..

Keya , someday when you read this, Ma Baba will be boasting about how you rolled on the floor at all the airports we have been to, its kind of a tradition now. I will miss it all,the day i see you sitting cross legged reading a novel , or plugged into your ear phones. Baba will miss downloading nursery rhymes on his phone cuz you would have your own games and your own phone, while we would want you to bite into pizzas and fries, you would be on detox diet of only fruits someday when you turn 16.You would not ask Baba about planes and helicopters, you would know everything.

The teddy would sit quietly, alone at home, locked inside the house reliving its days of travel with you.

Till then stay wild my child..stay wild !