Monday, February 08, 2010

Think Tank

Okay, my not yet 2.75 year old Puttachi has turned into a think machine. She thinks through everything, she analyzes and dissects events of the future, she discusses eventualities - and strikes me dumb. She's such a thoughtful little thing.

Yesterday, as we were leaving for her school, she noticed a bag in my hand.

Amma, what is the bag for?
I have to buy vegetables, Puttachi.
Great, can I help you pick them out?
Oh but I'm going to drop you at school and then go to the vegetable shop.
Ohh, I thought I was going too. Ok, Amma.
[Thinks for a while. ]
Amma, what will you make for lunch?
Radish huLi.
Oh yay yay! I like radish huLi!
I know you do!
Do you like radish huLi, amma?
I do.
Do you like it very very much?
Not very very much, but I like it.
A little bit?
Yes a little bit.
I like it very very much, Amma.
Good!
Amma, some people don't like radish, do they?
That's right, dear.
Why not?
Different people have different tastes, and they like different things.
But I like radish.
I know, mari.
Amma, are you making radish for me because I like it?
Yes, baby.
She thinks for a while.
Amma?
Yes?
What if there are no radishes in the shop?
[I confess it took me a while to understand this, because I found it so difficult to believe it.]
What, Puttachi?
If you go to the shop, and if there are no radishes there, then what?
Oh but Puttachi, there are radishes at home! I've already cut and cooked them in the morning!
Oh! I thought you were going to buy the radishes at the shop after you dropped me at school, and then cook them!
[I laugh.]
Then what will you buy in the shop, Amma?
Soppu, ginger, garlic, lemons.
Oh okay!

And in case this conversation looked too grown up, you will not believe that the last sentence, for example, was said, "Oh Othay!" She is still a baby.

That is not all. When I went to pick her up, she remembered.

Amma, did you go the shop and buy.. umm... soppu, ginger, garlic and lemons?
Yes, I did.
Oh othay!

She is besotted with traffic lights and exclaims with horror if S~ jumps, as she thinks, a signal.
Ayyooooo!! But it was red!!
Didn't you see the green left arrow blinking, Puttachi? We were allowed to go left.
Oh othay!

She wonders why there are no traffic lights in sidelanes, and listens seriously to all explanations, and retains them too, and uses it back on us next time.

When we give her a piece of news, she wants to know everything, perhaps imagines the whole thing ahead.

Puttachi, we are going to X's house.
Who will be there? Why? Does he have a playroom? Will he share his things with me? What if he doesn't? Will we have lunch there? On what will we sit? Do they have a small chair in their house? Then where will I sit? Will his father be there? Is there a park near their house? Then where shall we go in the evening?

or

Puttachi, Y is coming to our place today.
Who is bringing her? What about her father? How are they coming? Who will drive the car? Is Y big enough to sit on the seat? Will she sit in the car seat? Or will she sit on her mother's lap? Can she walk? Can she talk? Can she play with me? What will you give them? Can Y eat anything? Then what will Y eat? Can Y do susu on her own? Then where will she do it? What if Y is asleep when she comes here?

No way has she got this from me. It must be S~'s genes.

24 comments:

Abhipraya said...

lol :D what a darling she is!

Adu said...

Oh othay! :)

Swati said...

WOW..thats so much of talking

Unknown said...

for an (almost) 2.75 year old thats a LOT of talk :) .. hugss to puttachi.

Shammi said...

I cant WAIT to meet her :)

Shrinidhi Hande said...

Expect lots of comments/questions once she grows up and starts reading this blog

Diwakar Sinha said...

great!

Anonymous said...

Most of the impressions children get before age 3 is stored in our brain...like you store information on a hard drive. Some concepts/judgments observed by children are subconciously gets stored....and if you do not pull them out to your 'concious' brain (RAM!) and make concious effort to correct them if their judgements/views are not appropriate, then they simply stay that way...if someone out there interested in reading more about how children store information, read 'Hidden Brain'(I am not sure about the exact title though!) book by a first generation Indian journalist in US. His observations are based on experiments conducted in Canada (e.g. children as young as 3 can tell you which race/caste is preferable..amazing). This info is for the curious...

Revati Upadhya said...

she sounds adorable. and i think you make a great mom. i can see it here :D

Poppy said...

Ahem *koff koff* about the genes part :)

Too cute!

Sudipta Chatterjee said...

Aare I'm trying to catch up with your blog after a LONG time. Must read the backlog some time. Please squeeze Puttachi's cheeks on my behalf once for now. :)

Anonymous said...

For Poppy who said 'koff koff' for 'gene' part...(there is no mention of 'gene' in my post), all I can say is 'ignorance is not bliss'. Check out the gene for 'language' that is a tool to express thoughts and ideas. It's called FOX P3 gene in the 6th. chromosome...

Anonymous said...

Shruti,
It's part of your 'gene' that you trasmitted to her and watch your interaction with your daughter...and ask you Mom. You will find the answer to Puttachi's use of language. At 2.75, she is way ahead of the language develpoment schedule....technically speaking, receptor genes do change in their chemical composition depending on our behavior pattern and it is then transmitted to next generation. Unfortunately, Puttachi will loose this ability to 'think out of the box' so to speak once she is fully integrated into Indian system of education which is not condusive for such mental capabilities....

Unknown said...

:) If I was there, I would hv loved to confuse her.. :D

Anonymous said...

Same Old Anon: Commenting after a looong time! Knowing both you and S~, me thinks it's your genes!

Mama - Mia said...

she is just too cute i tell ya Shruthi! :)and so perceptive and observant!

even Cubby has endless questions about everything including asking me whose every random car on the road is! :)

starry eyed said...

She is so smart and curious! How lovely that' you've recorded these conversations! Give Puttachi a big kiss for me, othay?!

praneshachar said...

so cute so sweet and so creataive.
what a way to put u in real test
super let the gene be from S or S simply great and thank u for sharing it with us. really enjoyed reading and I was imagining the faces !!!! its amazing duo of amma magalu

Lively said...

Oh oh oh... please please post her pics. I can imagine her babbling baby talk but I cant imagine her face to relate to it. I'm so longing to see her now. :)
You have a bright kid Shruti, you'll have to answer a lot of questions ahead.

Poppy said...

"For Poppy who said 'koff koff' for 'gene' part...(there is no mention of 'gene' in my post), all I can say is 'ignorance is not bliss'. Check out the gene for 'language' that is a tool to express thoughts and ideas. It's called FOX P3 gene in the 6th. chromosome..."

Eh? I said *koff koff* because Shruthi said it was S~'s genes that Puttachi is so talkative and analytical. I just koffed to gently disagree - it could very well be Shruthi's genes ! :)

Vijay said...

Oh wow !!! A little thinker...soon to become a not so little thinker :-)

tickets said...

oh othay, nice conversation, she is a angel. girls are always like that enquiring about everything

Anonymous said...

OK Poppy....sorry yar...I missed out on that. You are right dude. Puttachi is a little version of Shruti no dobut...
Sorry again boss....
Have fun guys!

Unknown said...

Once she grow up and read your blogs... we will have more comments... Isn't it.... We love our sons and daughters baby talks... when they start to grow up... we want their mouth shut...

- -