Flavours of Parenting

(Daddy tastes)

Just like how we receive tastes through our tongue, parents do experience the sensation of flavours through our children as well. 

One moment they can be all bitter with a face as sour as a prune, complete with a free-flow of salty tears... and the next moment, all can be easily forgotten when they creep up to you with a heart-melting sweet smile, and a hug as savory (or umami) as a bowl of gout-inducing bak kut teh.

A classic example would be the one involving her royal highness. Only she is capable of offering us the full course of flavours in one sitting.

It began innocently enough. All 3 monkies were on the bed, winding down in front of the iPad just before bedtime.

I wasn't in the room at that time, but what happened next had me sprinting into the room so fast that it would have put Usain Bolt to shame. Ok, so I exaggerate but you get the idea.

Ayd's painful screams piercing the peaceful night was what made me bolt into the room, and the first sight that greeted me was Ayd clutching his nose in pain. Ash immediately exclaimed that Ale had bitten Ayd on the nose and quite frankly, given the extent of Ayd's screams, I half-expected to find his bloodied nose lying on the floor somewhere.

And when the screams subsided somewhat, I surveyed the extent of damage.

It may just have been 2 tiny teeth marks, but they were enough to cause Ayd extreme distress.

After some interrogation, it emerged that Ayd was so mesmerized by an e-book app on the iPad that he inched forward, blocking Ale's view in the process. And so, she turned rottweiler and gave a good bite on Ayd's nose. This one I tell you - her bite is definitely worse than her bark.

And so what did the diva do? She immediately implemented damage control measures.

She broke into tears.

The wifey and I had her apologise to the brother, which she duly complied. But immediately after that, she lunged forward to her victim and gave him a big hug. Like that how to stay angry for long?

Anyway, all was forgotten the next day. Ayd was healed physically within the next few days and mentally, it didn't upset him anymore a single - pardon the pun - bit.

On a sweeter note, Ash came back from school last week with a surprise in his bag.

Earrings - which he bought it from a charity fair with all his recess money.

And the lucky recipient? His dear Mummy of course! He said it was a belated Birthday present from him to her, and you should have seen the beaming smile on the wifey's face when she saw the gift. Yah, something like the Joker's but only less sinister and much more beautiful of course. :)

So yes, parenting comes with its fair share of ups and downs. It can be demanding, distressing and downright stressful at times, but the rewards can be immense and also come at a time when one least expects it. And these are what make parenting such an appetizing prospect.