HRH Makes a Newspaper

Is It So Hard To Say?

Yesterday I was at my parents place for lunch after picking HRH up from school.

Two of my sisters and my father were seated around the lunch table, alongwith HRH and I. My son suddenly (while playing a game on the iPad and chewing a bite) said, "Ammi, I love you." I, just as distractedly replied, "I love you too baby". This is a conversation we have at least 5-6 times in a day (unless we are really at loggerheads).

One of my sisters looked at us and said "What is with you two constantly declaring your love for each other? Did our parents ever tell us they loved us?" After thinking about it for a bit, I reached the conclusion that no they didn't. They never told us directly in so many words, that they love us, which doesn't mean that we didn't know or don't know that they love us unconditionally (which they do). But it was never something that was stated in such clear words as "I love you."

Perhaps it wasn't the done thing at the time or perhaps it was supposed to be a given anyway, either way I don't remember my parents being as demonstrative as my husband and I are with HRH, or even as they themselves are with him now.

I'm not sure why it may be difficult for some to say, but it's really not too hard to announce (once you get over any embarrassment you and/or the recipient of the 'I love you' may feel).

Of course in some cases, there may be some expectations after those words, as was what happened earlier today -

HRH: Ammi I love you
Me: I love you too
HRH: You look pretty today
Me: Hmm.
HRH: I'm waiting...
Me: For what?
HRH: I gave you some compliments. You have to say thank you.

Better at Bullying, Paying Dues & Holiday Highlights

HRH: Ammi you're an even bigger bully than me.

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HRH: No homework today...No torture for me and you!

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HRH: You and Baba get paid for going to the office. Why don't I get paid for going to school? That's my job.

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Me: I missed you when you went to spend the night at Nano's. Did you miss me?
HRH: Umm...it was just one night and we were both in Lahore.

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HRH: I'll never wash my child's potty
Me: Who'll do it then?
HRH: I'll make my wife do it
Me: Baba washes you doesn't he?
HRH: Yes but I don't want to get my hands dirty

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Conversations during the winter holidays in Italy and Spain - 

Faisal: We'll be going back to Lahore soon
HRH: Noooo...I want to live in holidays

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HRH: I saw two people kissing on the lips on the metro...it was really gross
Me: Hmm
HRH: They didn't stop kissing
Faisal: That's ok
HRH: But their tongues were also touching

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Career motivation after a walk down La Rambla, Barcelona -

HRH: I want to be a street performer when I grow up

Me: What kind of performer?

HRH: I'll be a statue sitting in the air

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At DXB airport, waiting impatiently for Faisal to be done with eye scan -

HRH: How long is this going to take? What will they do next? A CT scan?

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An hour after seeing Trevi Fountain -

HRH: I liked Saturn at the Trevi Fountain

Me: You mean Neptune?

HRH: I knew it was a planet name

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HRH: When a bride throws a barbecue, the person who catches it will get married next?

Me: Bouquet?

HRH: Yes

 

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Religious Reckoning

My husband, Faisal and I are kind of confused about whether HRH should start reading the Quran in Arabic. While most of his friends/class-fellows have been receiving religious instruction as far as starting to read the Quran goes for a while now, we are still debating about what the point is if he doesn't understand anything.

While our respective parents have been begging/pleading/telling us off about how lax we are as far as HRH's religious studies go, neither of us thinks, having been through the same process when we were his age, that it added anything to our lives at that point in time (apart from dreading the hour the qari saab was supposed to appear).

I suggested I would read a page of the English translation with HRH every day. This was vetoed by Faisal who thinks (and on further pondering about, I agree), HRH is a little young for the intricacies that lie therein (or in other words, we wouldn't know how to answer the questions that would be bound to come up).

The other day HRH and I had the following conversation (much to Faisal and HRH's amusement) -
HRH: Why were all prophets men?
Me: I dunno..
HRH: Maybe Allah thought women are nasty.

So, yes, I don't think we'd be able to answer the queries that are bound to crop up (especially as we seem to be pretty clueless ourselves).

Can we simply stick to just be a good human being and take it from there?

Sentence to Death

HRH: Homework makes me feel annoyed.

Religious Medication, How to Draw Booty, Vowing Vengeance & More

HRH: Plants and things like cars are lucky because they are safe.
Me: Safe from what?
HRH: From going to hell.

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HRH: We are learning the doosra kalma in school...doosra kalma shahdat..shahadat manay dawai dena
Me: Dawai dena?
HRH: Yes it means give medicines


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HRH  trying to eavesdrop on a conversation -
HRH: What are you guys talking about?
Me: You don't have to know everything
HRH: I do have to so I can be wise in future.


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HRH (singing): I'm a coolio! I'm a genius!
Me: Are you modest as well?
HRH: Yes
Me: Do you know what that means?
HRH: No
Me: It means someone who doesn't praise themselves saying I'm a coolio or a genius
HRH: I guess I'm not modest


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HRH: In Urdu we did fill in the blanks like "mein baray ho kay _____ banon ga". I wrote 'farmer'
Me: You want to be a farmer?
HRH: No but that's the only word I knew how to spell..fay alif ray meem ray.
Me: Farmer is an English word. Do you know what you call a farmer in Urdu?
HRH: Kabooter?

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HRH: I know how to draw booty..first you draw a C..then u put a straight line and then you draw another C but the opposite way.

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HRH jumping on the bed -
Me: Stop doing that
HRH: Jumping gives my legs enthusiasm


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HRH: Wouldn't it be cool if we were the Prime Minister of Pakistan?
Faisal: No..it's so much responsibility
HRH: But we wouldn't be greedy


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Faisal and HRH fighting over who gets to play on the iPad -

HRH: When I grow up and you're my son, I will bully you too.

Alien Invasion (....Luckily They Didn't Stay Long)

HRH writes/draws a comic -