When I was growing up (and I think I still am), my mum was always ready with truckloads of advice she wanted to give me. I always wondered why she wanted to say so many things to me. Was I a complete klutz? Did she not trust me to do anything right? But I have discovered over the years that her pieces of advice have always helped me in one way or another.
When I was a toddler, I was allowed to wear casual coloured clothes to my nursery class. I was a pretty chubby fellow with flabby arms, and I detested wearing sleeveless frocks. But for some sinister reason, my mum loved buying me sleeveless frocks. She believed that kindergarteners looked cuter in sleeveless dresses. Besides, Kolkata was a humid and hot place almost all round the year. I would cry everyday before I left for school because I absolutely hated sleeveless. Then again when I was in primary school, I had a velvet fetish. I liked to think I looked regal and aristocratic in my velvet tunics. And as expected, my mum would force me to wear cotton clothes as the hot sun never spared velvet. I was often cross with my mum for making me look fashion-challenged back in school, but look at me now! I myself will recommend anybody and everybody who asks me, to pick sleeveless cotton or linen garments over any other material. I have been living in Mumbai for most of my life now, and the place is equally, if not more, hot and humid than Kolkata. I have begun to truly appreciate the lightweight and airy properties of summer dresses.
During my board exams, my mum gave me the best tips one could hope to get. She herself was a district topper in her exams, and her words were like pearls of wisdom for a jittery examinee like me. I diligently followed her advice on creating a timetable, taking breaks between study sessions and writing to practise concepts. I also improved my handwriting and worked on my presentation. And it paid me well. I was a top ranker in New York and (obviously) one of the toppers in my school. I don't know if I would have done as well if I kept doing what I usually did - read (without writing) and keep everything for the last minute.
I am well into my twenties now, and I still get a lot of advice from her. I am sure I do not appreciate most of it. But perhaps someday, when I become a mother like her, I will begin to understand why she feels the way she does. Nevertheless, my mother is and always will be my first expert!
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| Mom and me |
When I was a toddler, I was allowed to wear casual coloured clothes to my nursery class. I was a pretty chubby fellow with flabby arms, and I detested wearing sleeveless frocks. But for some sinister reason, my mum loved buying me sleeveless frocks. She believed that kindergarteners looked cuter in sleeveless dresses. Besides, Kolkata was a humid and hot place almost all round the year. I would cry everyday before I left for school because I absolutely hated sleeveless. Then again when I was in primary school, I had a velvet fetish. I liked to think I looked regal and aristocratic in my velvet tunics. And as expected, my mum would force me to wear cotton clothes as the hot sun never spared velvet. I was often cross with my mum for making me look fashion-challenged back in school, but look at me now! I myself will recommend anybody and everybody who asks me, to pick sleeveless cotton or linen garments over any other material. I have been living in Mumbai for most of my life now, and the place is equally, if not more, hot and humid than Kolkata. I have begun to truly appreciate the lightweight and airy properties of summer dresses.
During my board exams, my mum gave me the best tips one could hope to get. She herself was a district topper in her exams, and her words were like pearls of wisdom for a jittery examinee like me. I diligently followed her advice on creating a timetable, taking breaks between study sessions and writing to practise concepts. I also improved my handwriting and worked on my presentation. And it paid me well. I was a top ranker in New York and (obviously) one of the toppers in my school. I don't know if I would have done as well if I kept doing what I usually did - read (without writing) and keep everything for the last minute.
I am well into my twenties now, and I still get a lot of advice from her. I am sure I do not appreciate most of it. But perhaps someday, when I become a mother like her, I will begin to understand why she feels the way she does. Nevertheless, my mother is and always will be my first expert!
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