Recorded on the eve of Laddoo's 5th birthday almost 2 years ago, here's a fun conversation with Laddoo's favourite person - her Maasi (aunt) about customers, competitions, rainbows, and somehow, vinegar.

For quite some time now, Laddoo has been talking about the stuff in her dreams. It has always been tiny little tid-bits, fleeting mentions of a little thing here or there, and even though I found the little bits I heard extremely fascinating, because of all things pandemic, pregnancy, and postpartum (I love the alliteration here #iamweird) we both never sat down to actually talk about it.

Thanks to this countdown (and Laddoo randomly demanding that I put her to sleep almost an hour after her father tried his luck) I did! I pretended how annoyed I was that she wasn't asleep yet, but inside I actually jumped at the chance because it meant I could to talk to her and record something for the podcast.

And because Laddoo is MY daughter, we digressed quite a bit. So in addition to the stuff Laddoo’s dreams are made of (which is quite interesting and funny in itself) we also talk about baking cakes, and Laddoo’s morning, afternoon, evening, and night lists. Yes, like me, she too is a list-maker and loves checking things off, and the sad truth of my life is that she gets to check off every item on her list every single day whereas I struggle to do even one a day, let alone more than one.

You’ll know what I’m talking about when you give it a listen. Enjoy Laddoo’s infectious laughter! 😁

In 36 days, it’s going to be 5 years since I delved into this parenting thing. When I keep thinking about how Laddoo is going to be 5, ALL I can think of are 5-year-plans, 5 years of government, etc.

So I decided to make a 5-year-plan for Laddoo. 

And as a part of this 5-year-plan I thought it’d be a good idea to get a performance review from Laddoo (and so far that’s the only thing I have).

Over the last year and a half, in addition to the pandemic, our family has gone through some major events that have collectively changed the family dynamic. I, personally, have changed a lot as a person and therefore as a parent as well. I have been a much more conscious parent than before, but there have been instances where I wasn’t able to give my best, and instances (though, rare) where I behaved pretty horribly (and then offered a sincere apology + tried to do better next time). So I do have a pretty good idea of how I have fared. But I wanted to know what LADDOO feels about me and what she thinks I did not do well, so I can work on doing better. 

 So I asked her. Her responses are funny and she’s laughing throughout the conversation, but for real answers I have to read between the lines. Not just that, I am going to make this a regular thing - asking her for a performance review - so I am aware of what she needs from me as her mother. 

Because recently, I read something that hit home.

“Just because you love me does not mean I feel loved by you.”

And I want Laddoo to FEEL loved. Not in the way ‘I’ want to love her, but in the way she NEEDS me to love her. And there’s a BIG difference between the two.

What do you think?

Laddoo and I talk about the baby that's going to arrive soon, how I will be away at the hospital  for a few days while I give birth and recover, and how life will be once the baby and I are back home.

At the start of this conversation, I had a very specific topic in mind. Laddoo had already finished dinner, had a bath, brushed her teeth, and was ready for bed. In another week or so, we’ll be moving back to our house and there, she has a bed of her own. Until now, we’ve been co-sleeping, but I want that to change so I thought it’d be an appropriate time to talk to her about sleeping in her own bed, in her own room, without me or her father being present.

To begin with, the conversation went well. But then it took a detour.

While talking about how she’ll sleep, she mentioned that she wanted me to read to her instead of singing and then she went and picked out a book that I wanted to review anyway. So I didn’t interfere with the turn it had taken, and now you can hear my almost-three-and-a-half-year-old indirectly tell you how awesome this book is, because she’s so fond of it that we read it every day.

For more details about the book and MY opinion on it, as a parent, check out the post on the blog here —>

Purchase Link* —> https://amzn.to/384wEaP

*The link to the book is an Amazon Affiliate link. This means that should you make a purchase using this link, Amazon will pay me a small commission at NO EXTRA COST to you. Thank you for supporting me ❤