Of kids and brats

There are 2 things one never does - tell a bride that she is marrying the wrong guy and if you outlive that mistake then never tell a parent his/her child is a brat !

There was a time when I thought all kids were cute and sweet...I was a confused teenager who was used to heros falling in love with heroines who loved kids or vice versa. But the cuteness and sweetness will disappear when you spend some time with kids who have been pampered and spoilt by the parents and your inability to do nothing in such a situation drives you insane !

Frankly I cannot love all kids unconditionally. The only reason some kids get the 'unconditional-love' cards are because I love at least one of their parents unconditionally. So meeting one of the kids without this card is always tricky.

First of all, when people become parents they undergo a transformation. All parents think their child/children is/are the best and quite a few actually expect others to fall in with that as well. Parents, please understand that a visitor may not share your enthusiasm for watching 100 photos of your child eating cereal or listening to your description of your child's antics for the whole day (the aww feeling stops after an hour) !

I usually get along well with most kids and I never meet them without presents (so that makes me Santa Claus in their eyes and that helps :D). I also enjoy the little pleasures in life that one experiences in the presence of a kid. A friend's kid once drew me a picture (more like a scribble) and gave it to me as a present. I still have it and treasure it. If only the world was only made of such sweet kids.....

I do understand that kids get cranky when they are hungry or sleepy or sick and that's understandable. But there are certain kids who are so spoilt and mean, they know that all they have to do is to throw a tantrum to get their way. I don't like giving parenting advice (and I shouldn't since I don't have kids of my own), so all I do when I encounter such brats is to make a mental note as to never visit the parents again for the next few years (during which I hope the child grows up and learns to behave).

Ashok has a strict rule of not traveling with kids as long as the travel is not to a restaurant or a park and I used to think that he was impatient. But when I came back from a day trip to a nice city with some friends and their kids and couldn't remember what I saw because of the incessant crying and adam pidichufying I decided that he had a point.

For all I know, my kids could end up being brats (Oh dear God, I hope not!) and I would probably be blissfully unaware of that fact but until that day comes, I can choose when and where I want to be with kids !