Traveling with my daughter is so much fun. I should keep my fingers crossed as we still have to travel back tomorrow. So far the sun part has been greater than the tantrums but we have one more day to go. Chhavi and I have now traveled together quite a few times and it gets easier with every new trip in more ways than I imagined it was possible! So this is where we stand with the latest trip.
- The Stomach must be Full
This is of course an old rule. If the kid is hungry, she would get cranky. She would get cranky if she is very tired as well, but that happens much less than the hungry bit. She is not an easy child to feed. She simply digs in her heels and tells me she will not eat, whereas I know equally well that the success of the day depends on her stomach being full. I am able to prevail over her every time when it comes to food by any means I can, it can be barter, blackmail or pleading but I simply do not let her go hungry. And this is true of every trip we have done together so far!
- Keeping her Entertained
Being alone with a child for a few days can get a bit daunting because I alone need to keep her entertained. If it is summer and she can play in mud and water which makes my task very easy. But at Fagu she had snow! It was a novelty, we indulged in snow fights but then we would get cold. Thankfully she likes to draw, so we carry color pencils. I do not carry any pastel colors or even sketch pens because they can easily be transferred to the towel or the bed sheet at the hotel! I also carry a bit of school stuff not because I feel she should study on a holiday but it helps in passing time! When all else failed, she had TV here at Fagu and I can’t remember when I watched so many cartoons in my life!
- Letting me Sleep
When she was even smaller I was very scared to go to sleep if she was awake, she would be up to some mischief in no time. This time I dozed off in Shatabdi and she simply sat by the window and entertained herself. Today morning she let me sleep for 45 minutes and sat by the window of the room. She woke me up saying, “look outside there is snow”! It is a big blessing to be able to sleep for a while even if she is awake.
- Playing Silly Games
On this trip we played a lot of silly games. Our favorite is bringing the index finger near the mouth of the other person where they have to pretend to bite. Initially she would make such an angelic face while pretending to bite my hands off! I told her look at my face and how I was really willing to bite her fingers off. So, now she tries to look fierce, which makes her look doubly cute.
- The Tantrums
This time I discovered a new tantrum. On the first morning at Fagu, she wanted to go back to the room before the breakfast arrived. As much I would try to reason that we need to eat breakfast, she would say she was very cold. She had gone out in snow first thing in the morning for a few minutes but I could not figure out what was wrong. We had a long argument, in the meanwhile the parathas arrived and I made her eat her bit. She perked up later and we had a merry time. Then today again she wanted to go back to the room after playing in the snow for a while. I was quite irritated as we were forced in anyway because of the snowfall in the first half. Reluctantly I agreed to go back to the room. And then I discovered that she had put her shoes in all puddles and they were wet, which then irritates her to no end. She won’t say her shoes were wet, instead she would insist that we go and sit in front of the heater. It took me a while so solve this mystery but once I understood it was easier for both of us!
- We are going to the Room!
Sometimes (not much) she really wanted to watch TV and not to venture out! And that would be when either the light was good outside or the weather had just cleared. She stumped me once but then I too did my bargaining and got out every time I wanted to.
- Are we there yet?
The journey from Delhi to Fagu turned out to be a very long one. It is actually reaching to Shimla by bus which kills us; it takes 5 hours whether I do it from Kalka or Chandigarh. On this trip, to take the 7.40 am Shatabdi we started from home for the Metro at 5.25 am. The Shatabdi reached Chandigarh by 11.25 am as the train was late by 20 minutes. It took us about 25 minutes to reach the Sector 43 Inter State Bus Terminus by a prepaid auto. From there we took a Volvo to Shimla and this bit was 5 hours. Then I took a taxi to Fagu but by that time the kid was really tired. So, I don’t blame her at all if she kept parroting “kaab aayege” every few minutes. After all it took us more than 12 hours to reach Fagu from Delhi.
- Mushkil Wakt Commando Sakth
Today morning in the dining hall she kept chanting ‘mushkil wakt commando sakth’ which roughly can be translated as ‘in difficult times a commando rises to the occasion’. Now I wonder where she heard it, I am sure it must be lines from a cartoon but then how apt! So, if she threw any tantrum after this, I would tell her, “this commando is quite lazy, this commando is so soft!” And that would usually do the trick!
- Taking Walks with Her
We took quite a few walks together, and for a 7 year old she walks quite well. Yesterday I think I tired her. Today the mild snow put us in initially and then I was careful not to tire her out. She walks ahead of me almost all the time telling me to be careful. Indeed her balance is much better than mine and downhill I am no match for her!
- Chhavi the Photographer
Today by some quirk of fate I gave her my precious, my camera, the DSLR! She already has been using my cell phone to click pictures but before this I didn’t dare to trust her with my precious. After giving her the camera I had two precious’ to worry about. I put the strap around her neck so that even if she dropped the camera, it would not fall.
She truly surprised me by clicking my photos without letting me know. She truly had a gala time, maybe I can actually do a post on the pictures that Chhavi clicked. Of course, I did the setting for her but it was amazing how much she enjoyed handling the camera. And now that my daughter can click pictures I don’t need to take selfies on these trips!
A Nice Post…. Heart warming!
Thank you so much Sreedhar.
Wow! Stay blessed. You are lucky to travel with your daughter. Very few people get that chance and I am talking about mums and daughters both! 🙂
Thank you so much Parul. I do feel scared at times but then I try to pick up places which are considered safe!
Well Written post, enjoyed reading it !
AnanyaTales
Twitter
Thank you Ananya.
Lovely post.
And great tips that would really work well with my 9 year old too.
I have actually started enjoying going out with Krrish and taking photos. He is my little friend, companion and partner and comes up with things like -mommy look at that sculpture, it’s perfect for Our World Tuesday. Come lets click it.
That sounds like a lot of fun!
I plan to travel with my daughter soon. I know its a big challenge which I dread at times. But I would want to show her the world through my eyes.
And see it through hers, it is indeed a lot of fun.
Happy travels! Indeed a great company for you! 🙂
Thank you so much Indrani.
Wonderful post, Mridula! A blessing in disguise. “she tries to look fierce, which makes her look doubly cute.” 🙂
Thank you Ravish 😀
Lovely post … and I am borrowing Sreedhar Sir’s words ..yes heart- warming indeed .. Great to see little Chhavi 🙂 Blessings and many more such love filled trips for both of you dear … stay blessed 🙂
Thank you so much for your blessings and wishes Kokila.
This is such an endearing post…in fact, I love all the posts featuring Chavi. Reading this makes me long for the days when I, too, shall be able to travel with my son.
Sangeeta as they say it will come soon, kids grow up so fast!
🙂 Such a heart warming post 🙂
Thank you Prasad.
Too sweet. I love travelling with my kids too.
Thank you Lady Fi. I still remember yuor pictures from Spain.
Precious moments well captured. Please do post the ones Chhavi clicked.
I will surely try to do that Alok.
It must be a heart warming moment for you Mridula! Travelling with the little ones is indeed a challenge, but the joy it brings in is priceless. You’re lucky to have such great company 🙂
So true Mukulika.
I am really not sure how i will behave travelling with a kid because I myself behave like a kid when i travel 🙂
lovely pictruees and god bless the little one
You will behave well Bikram! 😛
Such lovely clicks …. another blogger + photographer in the making . I can now understand how my dad n mom would be managing with us while travelling n road trips 😉
We used to play silly games and “Kab Aayega” was we bro fav dialogue after every 20 min ….
But kids are so much fun!
You both are soooo lucky to spend this quality time together and share the travel storieas. Am sure she is gonna cherish them forver..happy travels 🙂
Thank you so much Payal.
Daughter like her mom
Thank you Yogi.
Wow. Really love this post.Both you and Chhavi are blessed with each other. Happy traveling 🙂
Thank you so much Avinash.
Lovely post… Put an instant smile on my face. Look forward to reading more about your travels with Chhavi!
Thank you so much Chaitali.
Lovely post. The little one’s are more resilient and open to doing things than we give them credit for! She certainly is a budding photographer!
Thank you Richa.
The awesome two. “Are we there yet.” I have heard this often too. Kids add adventure to our trips.
Thank you so much Preethi.
That’s lovely to know, Mridula!
Great pics as usual!
So, no more Selfies! You can pose for Chhavi!
You are a positive influence for a budding photographer. Best wishes to her!
At least when traveling with Chhavi, no more selfies.
Travelling with a children will never be the same as travelling alone but if both can click well then it might be a different story.
I love it, but I have to wait and see when she beens a teen! 😀
What an enjoyable read! After reading your traveling experience with your daughter, I remembered these lines… ‘Most daughters and moms are the best friends’. So true! As most of them have shared with you, I too love reading about Chhavi in your words 🙂 Beautiful photographs… And not to forget, the picture in which Chhavi is busy drawing, is so cute!
Thank you so much Sindhu.