A Night with Shruthi

It has been quite a while since I updated my blog. It is not because I am not coming across anything interesting from my girls. It is either out of sheer laziness or the lack of appropriate time to pen it down. But the incident that happened last night cannot go without being mentioned.

Both Shruthi and Swathi are in the habit of sleeping in their bunk bed every night. It so happened one night, when there were guests at home, I opted to sleep with the girls in their room. Swathi who was sleeping down, shared her bed with me and I slept there comfortably. The next morning Shruthi demanded that I sleep with her too. I promised to sleep with her the following night.

So last night, I slept with Shruthi. Whenever she lies next to me, she gets prompted to ask many questions. She would like to know how a clock ticks, the properties of a magnet, how God could maintain the accounts of many, if monster exists, whether she will be married to a Prince, if I will assist her with her children and many such things. Last night, she again opened up the topic of what she wants to become when she grows up. Usually, I ask her what her plans are every now and then but this time, it was she who opened this topic.

She asked, “Amma, do I have to go to a college to study, if I decide to become a mehendi designer?”

Me: Yes. (I was almost asleep)

Shruthi: But I am not quite sure if I want to study that in a college. I already know how to apply mehendi on hands. Why waste time?
(She does apply mehendi on her own hands with the help of her own creativity)

Me: That’s right. Do something else

Shruthi: I had short listed many professions but now I am negating them one by one. I wanted to be a mehendi designer. Now I do not want to become one. I do not want to be a teacher. I do not want to become a doctor either. It is difficult. Astronaut is the most difficult profession because you have to study here on earth also and then after studies you have to do further study and research in the space.

Me: (For a moment I wondered how come she got an idea of an astronaut’s job) – There is nothing that is easy. Struggles are inevitable in whatever profession you may choose. Your passion towards it makes it easy for you. That’s how everything works.

Shruthi: But some are really easy, Amma. So I do not want to take it up. For example – your profession – Lawyer. It is so easy. So I do not want to take it up. I want to take something that is challenging.

Me: (I almost lost my sleep and became fresh enough to counter what she just said. I thought I had struggled enough to become a lawyer) How come you are aware of a lawyer’s profession? Do you know that there are lots to study in law?

Shruthi: But still it is very easy, Amma.

Me: How do you say that?

Shruthi: What is the main job of a lawyer? It is to settle disputes between people. I can do that easily. I will bring both the parties together and make them say “sorry” to each other and ask them to give shake hands and hug each other. That is so simple. Take the case of a doctor. Is it not difficult? He has to find the right vein and give the right injections. Do you get me, Amma?

For a moment, I did not know whether I should laugh or make her understand. I opted to laugh aloud. She was quite confused on seeing my reaction. She explained all that she had understood quite seriously and the laugh from my end was annoying her. I could make it out. She asked me the reason why I was laughing aloud but I was in no mood to spoil her innocent understanding about each profession. The rest of the night was spent in deep sleep with my innocent little girl.