Should I say "Keep your hands off!"?

Aaru is down with a cold. He is slightly warm to touch and his voice has also changed a bit. Courtesy - my maid! She had fever, cough and throat pain but couldn't keep her hands off Aaru. She loves both the kids a lot and I didn't want her to feel bad. So, I tried not to say anything much to her. Since she never kisses the kids or anything, I thought it would be okay but I was wrong! He has caught it now!

Surprisingly, this time, my hubby demanded why I hadn't asked her to 'keep her hands off the baby'when she had a cold. I am surprised because when the source is the maid, he reacts so but when the source of infection might be a friend, neighbour or relative, his reaction immediately changes. He asks me not to offend them!!!

This poor maid who toils all day in my house so that I can have some peace to look after the kids, who loves the kids so, accompanies us to doctor visits and gives me a hand when I need help with the baby seems to me to be a far more important person than everyone else put together. In fact, I am sure right in not offending her by asking her to not pick up Aaru.

Its okay, Aaru, put up with your cold. T-minic syrup will save the day. If it gets worse, there is Ascovent and our Dr. Potnis. (And to visit him, once again, we need our maid. Dad's too busy in office!)

An endnote: Folks who read this... please keep your hands off any baby whenever you have a cold or any other sickness. Also, don't handle baby without washing your hands or using a sanitiser. And, please don't get offended when someone suggests that you use one before handling their child.

The Night Monsters

I had a very peaceful night yesterday. I woke up only about some 11 times throughout the night. Twice for my elder 4 year old son – once for choo-choo (i.e. his term for the ‘loo’) and once for scary boo-boos under the bed. The rest were for my one week old younger son who has this cycle of feeding – dirtying the diaper – pissing on mom as she is changing that diaper and feeding once again. To bachelors and childless couples, this may sound like a crazy night. Definitely not one that they would call ‘peaceful’. However any night not interrupted by wailing screams, frantic phone calls to doctors, thermometers, sponging, medicines and tears is a peaceful night for all mothers.


When I was a new mother the first time, I did not have this wisdom. Sleepless night after a painful c-section made me groggy, irritated and tearful. Around the second week, my son had a bout of colic. His painful cries made me desperate. I would have gladly bitten off my arm if it would have eased up his pain.


As the years rolled by the night monsters rolled into my life. The fear of what the night is to bring gripped me. Scorching temperatures, painful tummy, projectile vomiting, diarrhea, feet pain, knee pain, eye injury and lots more have kept me awake through many nights and those were crazy nights. Those nights made me and my husband so desperate that having a 24 hour pharmacy at a walkable distance was our first prerogative while looking for a house.


Give me a sick child in the day – I can manage that but not in the night! But, I just cannot understand why is it that kids love to fall sick only in the late P.M. and early A.M. hours! So, the night monsters do crop up once in a while. To fight them, me and my husband keep the pediatrician’s number on speed dial and the car filled up with petrol always. I send up a special night prayer everyday to ward off these evil night monsters, cross my heart and go to bed. And when I wake up in the morning, I thank God for each peaceful night without the night monsters.