I will save you!

Our relationship as husband and wife is somewhat like the Delhi weather, fraught with extremes. We love each other deeply and the fights are intense too. We were having a bad day, hubby and I had a terrible fight in the morning, over the same old topic of him not taking up some of the domestic responsibilities, of not taking away some burden off my shoulders. After the heated exchange comes the silent phase just like humidity after the rain, when we play the game of I-am-not-talking-to-you.

I strongly believe that my children should not be impacted in anyway even when we parents fight. I need to play the role of a mother seamlessly. The wife in me should not change the mother to my children. Although I believe it, it is very hard to follow, to divide yourself into different parts and to bring forward a different facet for each person.

Soon after the argument I took my elder son out to play and to get some fresh air too. I showed him a few things, then we started running on a pathway made of large pieces of stone, each placed a few inches apart. A beautifully designed pathway for enjoying long leisurely walks on, but my son and I were running and he with his small legs was jumping energetically from one stone to the next. I was extremely upset inside but my gleeful leaps concealed my feelings completely.

I grasped his tiny hand and kept counting loudly as we jumped from one stone to the next (so he would learn to count as we played). After doing this a couple of times, my three year old who has much more energy than me started running faster and I feared that he might fall and hurt himself, so instead of asking him to slow down, I said in the singsong tone he usually speaks, "Mujhe darr lag raha hai" (I am scared) and he in his sweet voice immediately replied, “Daro mat Mumma, mein tumhe bacha lunga." (Don’t be scared Mumma, I will save you).

His words touched my heart, I just kept looking at his innocent face. Till a few months ago he could barely speak and at that moment in time he had said something profound. It was one of the best things anybody had ever told me. I hugged him and had he not pulled me away to play again, I would have shed a tear or two. His words meant the world to me and indeed he saved me that day. I was not feeling so miserable anymore, instead I felt loved and cared for.

A few words of can make a huge difference to the people who love you. You never know the impact it may have on them.


If you enjoyed reading this, then you may also enjoy The Parenting Roller Coaster and Gods on Fire