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PARENTING TIMES - FUNNY TWISTS - 4 - VINTAGE SWAGGER?
Our interactions with our children open up the gates to the understanding of our personality. This is another funny moment between the parent and the child and how the child perceives the personality of the parent.
The hubbub around the school was something I had already got used to over the many years that I had been there to pick up my daughter. The incessant honking of bikes, cars, school vans and school buses, slowly inching through the school road generated a special kind of sound effect for my ears. There were too many vehicles parked on either side of the road and many vendors on the pavements, selling their stuff to the students. This was the normal scene. The school road had a lovely canopy of trees, and one could never feel the heat of the day even during peak summer. Birds were pretty active on these and their droppings from such a height, created a music beat of a different style.
It was ten minutes to 3.00 pm and I was eagerly waiting for the school bell to ring. I was sporting my father’s dark vintage Ray Ban glasses with the pretty outdated rectangular frame. I had often wore this whenever I went to my daughter’s school, much to her disapproval. On most of the days, she would tell me jovially that it made me look much closer to a stern police officer’s profile, because I was already a person who by nature portrayed a very serious demeanour, most of the time. On the rare days when I was a shade jovial and relaxed with her, she would say with a laugh that the glasses made me look more like a Malayalam cinema villain. I must accept that I loved both these points coming as feedback although they were stated jovially. It unknowing brushed my big ego each time. I loved looking serious and this feedback only drove to be more so. But I had never been overt about this liking to anyone.
The school bell rang and I could hear the happy screams and banter of students erupt as they made their way out of the school premises slowly. A big bunch of students huddled right opposite to the school, around the bakery and the ice cream shop. It was the normal routine of a bunch of students. They enjoyed a quick time together before parting for the day to their homes or tuition centres.
I spotted my daughter step out of the gate. She waved and increased her pace as she walked towards me. I took her bag from her and as I turned to walk towards the car, she stopped me. “Appa (Her way of addressing me Dad in Malayalam), why don’t you walk with me to the other side of the gate. Some of my boy classmates are there waiting for their vehicles. They will get scared seeing you. It would be fun. Come on”, she laughed and tried to persuade me. This was nothing new. She persuaded me this way, every time I sported the vintage sunglasses. I would always refuse stating one reason or the other. But that day, I went along with her. Her boy classmates were taken by surprise and each one scampered into different directions and disappeared into the building again. I relished the moment. My daughter was also happy.
These funny moments happened a few more times in the following weeks and my daughter laughed to her heart’s content and it gave me a fine ego boost. I would call it the façade multiplier effect.
My daughter was a great admirer of my father. She would watch him in awe when he spoke over the phone or to a set of people who came whom especially when there was an issue that had to be addressed. “Appacha (Her way of addressing Grandpa in Malayalam) has that swagger. The way he takes decisions and backs it. He is great. The way he presents himself, there is a persona that fills the space and puts the people around in mode of attention and deep respect.” I think I would have heard her say this multiple times whenever we got a chance to discuss about him.
And then, I heard it one day from her. We were returning back from school and I was driving the car. “Appa, you missed scaring the boys today,” she said laughing. “I have told them that you would like to meet each one of them. They are really scared thinking about it,” she said laughing again. She was observing me closely whether I was in a fine and jovial mood. I was. “But Appa, you know that swagger that Appacha has. Only he has in our family. I mean this is even including our relatives. You don’t have it,” she laughed. “You are faking it well though,” she smiled with caution and laughed again. It actually jolted me inside in a very funny way though, as I never expected something of this type from her. We were in the middle of a traffic jam with vehicles honking around, but the jolt was such that I was numb to what was happening outside. This was like the straight opposite of the impression that she was triggering inside me whenever I wore my vintage glasses and walked around. It took time for me to come to terms with it but I told myself that I am not my father and neither is he the person that I am. We can always draw inspiration and try and emulate. But imitation can be the sincerest form of flattery. After a few minutes of silence she came up again. "Appa, you look handsome today," she said with a smile. She was making up. We laughed together as I drove forward.
You may also be interested in similar posts listed below:
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POEMS OF LOST LOVE
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SONG - RAW VOICE : MANJOLAI KILITHANO (PARROT IN THE GREEN BUSHES)
The video attached has my attempt at singing a few lines from this beautiful Tamil song.
Thursday, January 29, 2026
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