A Child's Plea to Parents

This was given to every child's parents when my daughter started her 1st preschool...8 years ago.( Shepherd of the Hills Preschool)
I have been looking for this for a long time, i knew i have stashed it away, since it is precious. In the midst of the move, found it and boy! i am glad or what :-).

From: Ann Landers Column

Ann Says " This is an excellent guide for rearing gentile, independent, loving children. I hope many readers will clip it and read it from time to time "

Give me more than food to nourish me. Give me the warmth and security of your love.

Let me enjoy all the five senses. Give me plenty of things to look at, to feel to smell, to listen, to taste and even things to break.

Teach me to take my turn. Watch me play so you can see how i am trying to work out my problems and what i am up against.

When you tell me to do something, please tell me why I should do it. Let me feel that I am a contributing member of the family.

And be sure to include me in making the family plans when you can.

Please don't keep me your baby when I want to feel grown up. Don't transfer your fears to me. I have enough of my own to cope with and i don't need any more.

Help me not to act when I am angry. But don't make me so afraid of showing anger that I lose my capacity to feel strongly about anything.

Let me learn bit by bit to bear pain, to what things but to be strong enough to postpone gratification of certain feelings i'm not yet ready to experience.

Let me try out my new powers as my body develops--to creep, to stand, to walk, climb, jump and run when i am ready.

Don't limit the natural needs of my body because you have some unresolved hangups.

Give me a little corner in the house that is all mine and nobody else's. I need moments of peace and quiet that cannot be invaded by anyone.

Give me my share of consideration and attention. I must know everyday,

even if for just few moments that i am the only one you are thinking about and loving.

Let me ask any question that pops into my head. Don't make me ashamed for having asked it, even if it seems stupid. And give me as honest an answer as you can.

If you don't have an answer, please say so. Its good training to hear someone say, " I don't know, but I will try to find out for you"

Be patient with me when i don't do things very well at first. Remember I have so many things to learn and almost everything takes some practice.

Let me bear the consequences for whatever I do. I need to be punished as well as rewarded. And when you punish me, make sure the punishment fits the "crime"

Above all, grant me , without reservation, your debt to me --Unconditional love. For if i know it is there, i will be able to give the same to my children

and they will be able to give it to their children.

The Little Boy and the Old Man

Shel Silverstein 's book " A light in the Attic" has some great collection of poems for every soul in various flavors.
I took the liberty of presenting it in a photoshop format. Here is one of them.

What is a Diamond Ring and a Mother Worth ???

Wedding means " DIAMOND RING " thats the custom on the Western Globe.

My kids wonder why I don't wear a Diamond Ring. They wonder why my husband never gave me a Diamond Ring on our wedding day...kind of Wedding is incomplete with out a Diamond Ring. I have tried to explain how the wedding traditions differ in other parts of the world.

I was teaching my 7 yr old son Math, about addition / subraction using Abacus ( Calculating Tool).

Out of the blue he remembered and said, Amma I have some $200 in my piggy bank and i will buy you a Diamond ring. I had no words to say...so i tried to focus on the math. I said, well, you need lot more money than that to buy a diamond ring. I asked him, if the diamond ring cost $1500.00 then how much more he should save. He used the Abacus and came up with the right amount.

Just out of curiosity, I asked him....What if some kid, comes to you and say... Your mother is very sweet,I want her as my mother, I will give you a Million Dollars...what will you say ? He said " Nope she is worth, Infinity $$$$". He confirms with me asking, "Amma., nobody will have Infinity $$$$, right ? " I said, maybe someone might offer you Infinity $$$$ money, what will you do. Nope, I will say " Google Infinity $$$$ " Just then...when I said...what if......... His response was quick " I will say, She is out of Reach and Off Limits"

Amma is MINE !!!

That one was a wonderful Gesture or Gift which I will Cherish. I am Blessed.

Honest Abe's Letter to his Son's teacher.

This Note came home on my Kids 1st day of school (2010). It is so wonderful not to share.

It only shows that how much a teacher can change a child's life for the good.

I believe that teacher can be in any form....
from a child to a wise old being in any natural form.

It all depends on us how we see it.
Where there is maturity, there is a teacher

Read on this letter, its is a keeper and should be revisited many times.











Lincoln’s Letter to his Son’s Teacher

He will have to learn, I know,
that all men are not just, all men are not true.
But teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero;
that for every selfish Politician, there is a dedicated leader…

Teach him for every enemy there is a friend,
Steer him away from envy,
if you can, teach him the secret of quiet laughter.
Let him learn early that
the bullies are the easiest to lick…

Teach him, if you can, the wonder of books…
But also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky,
bees in the sun, and the flowers on a green hillside.
In the school teach him
it is far honourable to fail than to cheat…

Teach him to have faith in his own ideas,
even if everyone tells him they are wrong…
Teach him to be gentle with gentle people,
and tough with the tough.

Try to give my son
the strength not to follow the crowd
when everyone is getting on the band wagon…

Teach him to listen to all men but teach him also to filter
all he hears on a screen of truth, and take only the good
that comes through.

Teach him if you can,
how to laugh when he is sad…
Teach him there is no shame in tears,
Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness…
Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders
but never to put a price-tag on his heart and soul.

Teach him to close his ears
to a howling mob and to stand and fight if he thinks he’s right.
Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him, because only the test
of fire makes fine steel.

Let him have the courage
to be impatient… let him have the patience to be brave.
Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself,
because then he will have sublime faith in mankind.

This is a big order, but see what you can do… He is such a fine little fellow,
My Son!

~ Abraham Lincoln

Oops! Did I Do that .....Feel like a Kitten

I Feel like a Kitten

So many things in my mind….feel like a little kitten caught up in a plenty of mixed yarns…trying to unravel all of them all at once ? How foolish !!!

Need to figure out one lose end at a time. Stress time can be playtime ..depending on the Spirit.

God Work through me and solve this puzzle.

Patience and Faith are the Best Antidote and Attitude.

Tech - Attachments -- Life Lessons

Can we live without Attachments in this Tech World ??, Guess Not.

This is a simple picture with a Great Message and brings a smile on your face. :-) :-)

Physical or Materialist attachments are much easier to let go...of course it comes with practice.

Emotional attachments built with Love and Heartaches, is so difficult to dissolve....as it has milions of ties attached to it.

Many life times is needed to become part of the Source. At that vantage point we don't see any difference....

A Tiny Single step forward towards the Source...helps us live among attachments with detachments.

Happy Living and Learning.

- janhavee

Power of Love vs Power of Fear

( Did you notice the picture? It was taken by my husband.....There is something amazingly Divine about it....its a play of nature.... )

It all started when my colleague handed me a note …. quite amazing words.

Our Deepest Fear

by Marianne Williamson from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Marianne Williamson

Here is my take on it......

Fear is the root cause of instability, insecurity in terms of love and money and what not. Fear is like a bacteria growing in the dark dungeons in the depths within. Throw abundant Light in the form of Pure unconditional Love and it would simply disappear, with no excuses at all !!. It all depends on whether we give the power to Love or Fear. The Fear of unknown, I would say, is the not knowing to love unconditionally. If we get on this journey and experience it, with just a tiny peep, with open eyes and heart, it is spectacular revelation. That’s the Power of Love !!! I am on this learning curve for a longtime and I am thankful it has connected me to wonderful souls in this spectacular lifetime. Don’t ask me, if I am there yet ?? It takes many life times to master it and I am glad I’m on the right locomotive which is destined to the Source!!

With Love, Peace and Light ! - janhavee

Is it an Oxymoron Situation ??

Nishant is superactive young adult

6 and a half yrs old". He's too young for high school and too old for 1st grade gauging on the Wise-O- Meter :-).

He's active, agile, tireless and hard to keep up. He's also very imaginative, high on curiosity and tirelessly experimental , which frequently lands him in situations he can't always control, kind of the curious George, the Monkey.

With his impish grin, he would deliver blunt observations of the truth, which would be hard to ignore. He is the Wise-President of the house, most forgiving, full of love, hugs and licks....and lot of other things that comes in the bundle :-)

We were driving back from Shirdi Baba Temple and I was appreciating my kids that they were very wonderful and responsible.

Nishant said to Neeha, " I am always good with my manners, but you sometimes forget your Please and Thank you, Neeha"

Neeha responded " Oh! yeah....have you forgotten the days you have called Amma. Meanie Bom-beenie ?

What do you have to say for that ?"

Nishant : " Well, i have not said anything like that to Amma" " I have only said, Come On Amma oh! PLEASE....You are the meanest Mom !!!"

Neeha : " oh! thats FUNNY! Nishant, you have a nice way with words.....but you were not being nice." " Amma, You put this on your blog"

My kids always reminds me of " Dennis the Menace". They always have something up their sleeve. Maybe its not just my kids....Kids have always outsmarted their parents in some way or the other :-)

Your Children are not YOUR Children

Your Children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bow from which your childern as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of infinite, and HE bends you with HIS might that HIS arrow may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archers hand be for gladness; For even as HE loves the arrow that flies, so HE loves the bow that is stable.

By Kahlil Gibran

Got Shoe /Suit ??

I have been contemplating over lots of things.....In this wheel of life..every situation is different.

Here is one.

When people say to you, " I perfectly understand your situation..." its a complete over statement.
Every situation is "TAILOR MADE" only YOU can fit in. Nobody can be there in that particular moment... except YOU.

So next time when somebody, says " I perfectly understand your situation..." I would say... "Sorry!! Its Tailor made"..."Find your SUIT / SHOE to fit in" :-)

By - Janhavee

MERRY X-MAS and HAPPY 2010

DEAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.....

HERE IS OUR WISHES TO YOU ALL FOR THE WONDERFUL YEAR AHEAD !!

WISHING YOU POSITIVE THOUGHTS, JOY OF SHARING , PEACE AND TRANQUILITY !


Check out this beautiful link... MERRY CHRISTMAS




This song is sung by my 9 yr old daughter. I love the innocence in her voice :-)



Silent Night Holy Night ( Cover by Neeharika) | Music Upload

This song is sung by my 6yr old, Nishant. The lyrics is perfect for all year round.


Let there be Peace on Earth ( By Nishant 6 yrs) | Music Upload

GIFTS of Love and Care

I really love this poem, as it resonates with my thinking.

********** GIFTS ************

What shall we give the children?
A new year is almost here.
Toys and games and playthings,
As we do every year ?

Yes, for the magic of toy land,
Is part of the new year lore.
To gladden the heart of childhood,
But I shall give something more.

I shall give them more patience,
A more sympathetic ear.
A little more time for laughter,
Or tenderly dry a tear.

I shall take time to teach them,
The joy of doing some task.
I 'll try to find time to answer,
More of the questions they ask.

Time to read books together,
And take long walks in the Sun.
Time for a bedtime story,
After the day is done.

I shall give these to my children,
Weaving a closer tie.
Knitting our lives together,
With gifts that money can't buy.

By : Isla P. Richardson.

Power of Thoughts

"A thought or a any tiny idea that forms in your mind actually has mass. Hypothetically think that the thought is an actual thing, measurable entity with a measurable mass. A minuscule mass of course but mass nonetheless. If thought has mass, then thought exerts gravity and can pull things towards it. If many people start focusing on the same thought, then occurrence of that same thought begin to merge into one and the cumulative mass of this thought begins to grow and therefore the gravity grows. If enough people begin thinking the same thing then the gravitational force of that thought becomes tangible and it exerts actual force, and it can have measurable effect in our physical world. "
From : Dan Brown's " Lost Symbol "

I completely agree with this. The same is true in the collective consciousness, Satsang , Prayer circles and so on. No wonder there is so much of power in prayers and group meditation. Our thoughts play a very important role in our life and our destiny. The more positive thoughts we sow in our universe, we will experience more positive vibrations. Let there be Peace on Earth, through our collective positive thoughts. - By: Janhavee

A Promise By Guru Ji

PROMISE

If I had to promise you something, what would it be?

I can’t promise that you would always be comfortable…
Because comfort brings boredom and discomfort.

I can’t promise that all your desires will be fulfilled…
Because desires whether fulfilled or unfulfilled bring frustration.

I can’t promise that there will always be good times…
Because it is the tough times that make us appreciate joy.

I can’t promise that we will be rich or famous or powerful…
Because they can all be pathways to misery.

I can’t promise that we will always be together…
Because it is separation that makes togetherness so wonderful.

Yet if you are willing to walk with me,
If you are willing to value love over everything else ~

I promise that this will be the most rich and fulfilling life possible.
I promise your life will be an eternal celebration,
I promise you I will cherish you more than a king cherishes his crown,
And I shall love you more than a mother loves her newborn.

If you are willing to walk into my arms,
If you are willing to live in my heart,
You will find the one you have waited forever….
You will meet yourself in my arms… I promise.

Poem written by H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Freeze I'm Ma Baker...gimme all your money !!

How many Years of Experience do you have MOM ??

Moms are extra careful and never try to cut corners and hence can have those bad days often. One day it could be Nishant getting into trouble at school or just giving me hard times....it could be Neeharika not keeping up at school. Its as stressful as for me as for them. I try to manage it well, but sometimes cave in, on one of those gloomy days. It so happened, that i was totally stressed out and started crying. Nishant saw me with tears and said..."oops..this is not good. I will go and get Akka, she is the best". Neeharika, comes in and asks me why i am crying? I told her that both of you trouble me so much that i can't handle it better and feel helpless sometimes, and so i'm crying. Neeha said..."Well Amma, we are just kids and we are learning. And you need not be stressed out so much because you are learning too. You have only 9 yrs of experience of being a mom and so it will take sometime for you to handle the stress". Nishant said...."She has 15 yrs of experience...Neeha you are 9 yrs and i am 6 yrs old, that makes it 15. So she has 15 yrs of experience. "


Guess, Moms Stress level is inversely proportional to the experience :-)

Psychic or Sidekick

A conversation started during dinner with kids. We were talking about some abilities or power that some people possess. Neeharika said Psychic has some special powers. Nishant (6yrs) joined in and said yes, i too know about Psychic. I asked him what he knows about Psychic ? Well ! he said" "a psychic is someone like Robin. In Batman and Robin, Robin is Batman's psychic. " We had a nice laugh....and then, I told him that this Robin is a Side- Kick for Batman and not his Psychic. Obviously his next question was, does that mean Robin helps Batman to Kick people??

No wonder, its always great to get down to the kids level and enjoy their little discovery with words...and wild imaginations :-) :-)

Shibi_ drama_by_KCA_09

Priest : Riya
King Shibi : Ritu
Eagle / Agni : Raashi
Dove / Indira : Maya
Sevak : Nihaal

Rama_exile_by_KCA_09

Grandma : Namita
Grand-daughter : Nisha

Rama : Suhas
Sita : Mahi
Kaikeyi : Ruchika
Dhasharata : Priya

Irvine Students Arjuna Ekalavya Sacrifice Play

Participants

Arjuna : Nishant
Ekalavya : Samarth
Dronacharya : Prerana