Shush!

Dear Piya,

One of the things that is really cute about a baby is the way they pout their lips while trying to mouth words. I have felt many a butterflies-in-my-heart moment when you were learning to talk, but all that came out was baby-babble.

Had I known the wikipedia of questions that was coming my way in the years to come, I would have taught you words at a much slower pace.

Yes, this is about the constant chitter-chatter, jibber-jabber jukebox that you have turned into after having solidified your grasp around speech.
It is like you just won't shush!
And this is one word you have caught onto like glue because I repeat this as often as I call your name.

"Piya, shush!"

This, you repeat, in an exhausting manner when what you say is not being heard by those around you, with the flair of - "Everyone, shush! Listen to me!"
Oh, yes! No exaggerations here.

If people think cats are curious then I believe I want to alter a famous adage to "...and then the kid's curiosity fried their mother's brain!"
That is how many questions a young child can ask a day and that is how escalating the decibel levels of 'Shush!' can be from the mother's mouth.

Be it at home, be it in a restaurant, be it even in a car while driving to some place, you talk to, you ask of and you shush everyone around, with no pause.
Since some time, I have started taking the liberty of asking you to keep quiet just once and then continuing with my work with a little display of "I am not listening to you, anymore".
Guess what? In response to this, you have shown to go onto talking aloud, as if to the surroundings, nevertheless!
I mean, wow!

I understand that you love to talk, darling. It is a fun aspect of a growing child's quirks.
But what I don't understand is how to make you understand that communication is a two-way street and then, more importantly, that speech is silver but silence is truly golden!

Well, you will learn as you grow, I guess.
But if that is not happening any time soon, then we surely have some tedious years filled with constant chatter, unending string of questions and a whole lot of to & fro 'shushing' our way.

If we go through some old picture-albums some few years from now, when you are grown up, and you come across a picture of mine that has my teeth clenched, not sure if I am happy or angry, then look upto this letter for reference, will you?
In the meanwhile, please 'Shush, baby!'



Love,
Maa.