The whole family started the day with a laugh.

But after that, came the difficult part for Reshmi. Running around Kannan, her three year old, with idlis and bananas and making him eat. Somehow she managed to make him eat an idli and half a banana.

Reshmi was getting madder by the minute. It was getting more difficult each day. Milk was all that he seemed to need. I wonder where he gets all this energy from, was her constant thought these days. “This is all your fault”, her husband would tease her. “You should have stopped breast-feeding him when he was one.”

“Yes, then I could have heard you saying oh the poor boy is not getting anything, for a whole year. You have it, why deny him. Whose logic was that?”

“Haha. Those were the innocent days. Wonder where that poor boy went to!” sighed Papa.

 “That poor boy is running around playing with his grandfather’s chappals and his father’s mobile when he should be eating his lunch” retorted Reshmi.

“You know, I was talking to my friend about this. You know how he feeds his three year old, by playing about the mouse who steals the food. Our Kannan outgrew that a year ago.”

“You are right. He has got his mother’s brains. No wonder he is so smart.”

“Well, he definitely has not inherited his mother’s appetite.” Sanjay couldn’t resist that.

It was lunch time and she had decided to try a new technique. She mixed rice and curd, and took some of Kannan’s favourite carrots. She then called Kannan, “Let us play a new game. Mummy is going to make a boy out of this. Here is his head. Now his body, there are his hands and legs.” As she was talking she deftly made a white boy figure with orange hands, legs, eyes etc.

“He looks cute, doesn’t he?”

“Yes Mummy.” “Ok now let us eat his small hands okay?”

“Okay let us.” Reshmi was thrilled, this was working. They worked their way up to the neck. And then Kannan said he didn’t want anymore.

“Ok Kanna, just eat his eyes, nose, ears and mouth and then Mummy will eat his head.”

Suddenly she heard what she had just said and was disgusted. She wanted her son to be a vegetarian and now here she was, teaching cannibalism! Then she thought, so long as it works, I don’t care. Let me do a house tomorrow. But tomorrow was too far away. There was still dinner to be tackled.

“Ok Kanna. We are having a bun mala(garland). Mummy is going to tie this up here and we are all going to eat it. Who is first?”

“Me” said Kannan. “How will I eat it, Mummy?”

“Well, you are not really supposed to touch a bun mala. I suppose we could make an exception for you. You go near it, touch it with both hands, break a piece and eat it fast. Otherwise, Papa will finish it. Papa loves bun malas.”

Kannan finally ate most of a bun before excitement got into him and the rest of the bun mala came crashing down!

Some vigorous games followed including one where Papa was elephant and Kannan was the mahout sitting pretty on top. Then it was dinner and Kannan managed to eat parts of a chapatti shaped like a bunny.

“Phew. I am exhausted.”

“You did well, Reshmi. I am proud of you. What about tomorrow?”

“Oh there is more where this comes from.”

Note: Heavily inspired by my nephew who drives my sister crazy with his constant refusal to eat. I suggested some crazy ideas like the rice boys and bun malas which my sister flatly said wouldn’t work. She is yet to try it out and give me results. So I thought, at least let my brilliant ideas work in a story. 


Featured by Sulekha