"What a beautiful day today is." I am thinking to myself while driving and quietly humming a popular Bollywood tune . when I´m rudely interrupted by my three year old "Mummy STOP that!! STOP singing."
My automatic reaction is to stop singing .
"Wait a minute I couldn´t have heard that right."
"After all this is the same little imp who used to look adoringly at me when I sang him his lullabies. Before I can continue with my singing efforts he says:
"Mummy go FAST FAST FAST."
Amidst the long line of cars , waiting to pick up the children at school , with at least 15 cars in ahead of me , my little imp is screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Mummy go, go, don´t stop, Move, let´s go get didi, let´s go get didi."
(As some of you know in some schools parents don´t have to park the car to pick up the kids , they just wait in a long line; when it´s their turn, then the teacher helps the child into the car.)

"Sweety, there are cars in front of me! I can´t go over them. We just have to wait."
"MUMMYYY!!! MOOOVE !! GOOO, Let´ go pick up didi, let´s GO!!, GO!!"
"Shauray, sweety pie, I can´t."
"MUMMY , MOVE."
"Shauray , Please bete I can´t."
He starts crying ( Fake tears, which I know are going to dissappear the minute Shveta comes in )
"Shauray , look we are moving " ( Thank God! The cars are starting to move ).
His crying ceases the minute Shveta comes in.

We drive towards the freeway .The children have their annual checkup with their doctor.
Shveta is franctically searching for the speed limit sign. Her one eye is constantly on the speedometer.
"Mummy! Slow down! You are crossing the speed limit."
The speedometer says 69Miles/hr.
"Shveta, I´m within the limits. It´s OK."
"No you ´re not. Mummy you are fooling me. The speed limit is 65 NOT 69."
Point made.
I slow down to 65 ignoring the glares of other drivers overtaking me.
Shveta and Shauray are peacefully conversing with each other.
I move to the left-most lane, ( hoping that Shveta won´t notice) as now I am going with the flow of traffic, which is 76 mph.
"Mummy you are going too fast, slow down.(UH OH !! SHE noticed.)
"You will get a ticket. I just know you will."
"You are ALWAYS driving too fast . MUMMY change lanes. Mummy give the signal RIGHT NOW !!."
I change lanes. (Deciding to give in just this once, only because they will be getting their immunizations today. NO point in upsetting them twice!)

We take the exit to the doctor´s office.
A car zoooms past us.

"WHOA!! THAT was close. Oh Boy !! Was HE in a hurry!!" says my six-year old.
"Mummy I hope YOU never do that."

Ya sure!! In ten years time I´ll probably be the one to be saying all these things to her.

Like the saying goes:
When you are young, Parents tell you not to do this or that. You keep waiting to grow up. When you are grown up, then your children will tell you not to do this or that. And we keep thinking "How did this ever happen ." Are we ever going to get a chance to decide what to do and how to do...