Explaining Natural Disasters to Kids

This post is triggered by a fancy and imaginative story about demons and monsters who created a tsunami, which S recently narrated to me. He apparently heard it from his friend who was told so by his mother.

I believe every parent has a way and method to explain natural disasters to kids. In this new age media where dramatic pictures are all across television and print, it is impossible to shield children from brutal reality - and may be we should not.


With what happened in Japan, S's (who is going to be 7) curiosity knew no limits - his questions ranged from what is a tsunami to if Japan still exists as a country or are we short of one country in the world!

It is hard to answer all their questions where you are balancing between being practical and at the same time assuring. After all, how would one respond when the kids ask - "what if it happens to us"? I usually respond by saying, hope and pray it doesn't and ever happens to us. But that leaves me wondering if that is enough - how do we prepare them for future, how do we make them brave, how do we make them resilient?

As someone said, let them be, they will learn on their own. And surely they will - but I believe a lot of our kid's behaviour is a reflection of our own - we need to be more prepared, brave and resilient. In a crisis situation, do they see us as facing it head-on or are we getting worried, stressed and breaking down. From what I see in Japan, people have been awesomely stoic and brave even after what they have been through. I haven't seen many wailing people across streets on television - perhaps thats taking things head-on. Perhaps their children have been and will be better prepared for future - even if it means going through a nuclear disaster...only time will tell! Surely something for us and our kids to learn...

"I"

Two kids, one spouse, two parents, one job, two domestic helps, one driver, one cook and still I can't find time to blog. Something's otta be wrong with me...

Jokes apart, life goes through a tumble with the arrival of a brand new baby. In our case, we have been blessed with 'I' last October - one cutie bundle of joy. And what a joy they bring -

Infectious smile beaming at you
Innocent yet naughty round big button eyes looking out for you
Tiny plump hands touching you
Pink mouth cooing and spitting at you
Soft little feet pushing you
Packaged in a delicate skin for you
Waiting to be nurtured, protected and loved by you...

Arrival of 'I' has ensured that everyone around him is in a constant state of action - and he is growing up quickly. It is a wonder how babies learn so fast- do they get tutored in their sleep? So while he is learning the tricks, S is on a jet plane to 'grown up' land. He wants to know everything, EVERYTHING. We are trying our best to impart the best knowledge to him but he has already learnt fast that you can 'Google' everything and find your answers. Kudos to technology, they might make parents also obsolete very soon!

Raising kids is perhaps THE most challenging job of all times, in these times. As parents, you have to be smart, funny, suave, with-IT, in IT, on IT (?) etc. And despite your best efforts you don't know if you will be able to be the 'cool parents of the boys; that you aspire to be. Why worry now but thats a thought...

Until next time, I find time in the conundrum called life!

Sleeping beauty

Once upon a time there was a little girl who would love to sleep for hours - unconscious of the world around her she would remain in her bliss. Her school was far away in the woods so she would have to get up very early in the morning to catch a bus lest she would miss the school for the day. Waking her up was an arduous task for her folks - some days her dad would flinch to wake up the sleeping beauty which used to make the mom angry. Invariably, the little girl would mostly end-up standing in the 'late-comers' line in the school along with her elder sister. Elder sister for many years used her 'Prefect' of the school status and managed to get the little girl out of trouble.

As the little girl grew up, the burden of studies started taking a toll on her sleep - she would end-up finishing her course till the last minute and eventually burn the midnight oil. Her love for sleep for always there - but alas the want to be an educated, smart girl took over. As the little girl - now in her teens- moved towards college, she loved nights for the solitude where she would study, surf the Internet, chat with friends etc. She would only sleep when she was exhausted!

As time went by, the grown-up girl fell in love, got married, had her children and in the entire razzmatazz of life, her beauty sleep was lost. She would feel lucky if she could sleep through one night peacefully without being worried about an intruder, anxious about kids, thinking about what to cook for the next meal, preparing her thoughts for the next day's meeting and her brain doing a flash back of the entire day. She would wake up all groggy wondering why would the sun shine so early and so bright. She would miss the days when she would sleep like a baby as a little girl!

One day a fairy came into her dreams and told her "Woman, sleep follows a cycle, you would have it in abundance towards the beginning and end of your life. The time in between is to enjoy your sleepless nights - after all you are lucky to have so many things which require your attention that you would need both day and night to look after."

The girl felt good - she doesn't crave for sleep anymore...she sleeps whenever she can with a smile.