No To Screens, Yes To Nature!

Dear Piya,

You were born into an age of technological dominance in this world.

This is opposed to the time of my childhood, where sun & sand were all of a child’s best friends.

Call me orthodox, but I favored raising you the way I grew up - away from what’s behind the screens & into the lap of nature. I had some robust reasons, but the result of this one decision left me more proud of you than of my own self!

Now, my reasons were-

• To keep your eyesight sharp for as long as possible, which was eventually (probably) going to succumb to the ill effects of screen-time, given the rise of screens
• To make you explore the world on your own rather than through the experiences of others, as showcased in pictures & videos
• To make you cherish living in the moment, against living it with an absent minded stare into a screen
• To strengthen the bond between you & I, much above that between you & some gadget

To begin with, I denied you of any screen time during meals. This has been ingrained in me by my parents &, while I do not uphold this with strict adherence, I hoped to follow the same as I led you by example.

It was tough, as the constant distractions a child can have while chewing onto a single bite are beyond the imagination as a human being. All it takes is a small chirp of a bird from out of the window and you stop eating in favor of the bird’s melody.

Ideally, I would have wanted you to pay attention to the food on your plate, appreciate its flavor, learn about its benefits etc., but I decided to settle for a distraction, as the sweet spot between your full attention to food & a mindless eating routine through a screen.

As we saw the birds everyday during your meal time, this habit developed quite favorably towards making you eat your food with fervor & enjoy nature’s beauty, at the same time.

Without much realization, I myself became a bird watcher along with you. And since some talk is necessary I started describing the visuals to you, in addition to some food-info, like the birds we saw, the sounds we heard, the color of nature’s scenery, the motion of the trees & everything available to soothe our senses naturally!

It was during one of these times that we caught sight of a dove searching for twigs to build a nest in a tree nearby. The bird kept flying to & fro between the grassy garden & its in-progress-nest, and as it did, so did you go on to eat your food.

I kept talking to you about this, with in between insertions about what you were eating.

I did not know when I stopped telling you of things & start thinking of the bird’s zest towards picking up one twig at a time, over & over again. It wasn’t just the magnum of the time & effort required to create a nest that boggled me, but the overall fact that we as humans tend to take so many things around us for granted! 
The beauty & the luxury of this mere sight enchanted me. 

Given the fast-paced technology-dependent world this is today, seldom have I spent so much time on something that doesn’t give a quantitative output, sadly.

“Maybe this is why bird watching is considered a self-reflection therapeutic kind of activity.” I thought to myself.

This is where you shouted, “Mumma, aaaaaa” with your mouth wide open in front of me for another morsel.

I laughed at being more of a bird watcher than your mother today. But that would make me more of a friend as well, wouldn't it?

And since you followed my sight back to nature, I am not complaining.

My little girl, you could have as easily learnt about birds through photos or videos of the same. But isn’t watching them & gaining a first-hand experience worth the long lasting etch in your memory? Not to mention, you will also now remember that your Maa was beside all through out - a thought that is as relaxing as watching that pretty bird chirp & hop.

I will have to let go off of you someday, darling.

Someday, you will build a nest of your own, beyond my tutelage, like that free bird.

And I will try my best to hold back my tears, I promise.

But until then, I wish for you to see all that nature has to offer, by my side, for you to become a truly happy person, independent of a dependence on the world created by man (as much as possible, my love).

Love,

Maa.