You better chew them off!

 "Should I come there to cut your sons' nails?", she still teases me on the phone.

Who?.....Who else? My mommy dear.

So here’s the story.....

When my elder son was born, me, a new mother, or in my kids' language, a noob(newbie), had so many uncertainties in my mind. Apprehensive for everything happening around, was my state.

How should I hold him? What's the right way to feed? How to make him burp after every feed? How should he sleep, lap or bed or cradle or rocker?

Thankgod! My mom was around to help me figure out all this and much more. To ease out my ambiguity and hesitation, she was always there.

"Mom, how do I do this?", and my mom, like a pro, would hold my son and do it for me. I really admired her for all that and with a smirk would think in my mind, "No doubt she has raised two lovely daughters with utmost sincerity".....(Yeah! I know narcissism...lovely is the highlighted word...but concentrate on sincerity more, here!)

That day, I was worried about his growing nails. "Mom how do I cut his nails?", my obvious question. "Arey, not now, after you bathe him, the nails become soft, then you slowly, just chew them off with your teeth", she replied in a casual way.

"What chew them off? When we used to do it for our nails, we used to get scolded on how unhygienic it is!", my soliloquy (for evident reasons, how could I blurt it aloud?).

"Arey ha! Chew them off, they are so delicate, are you planning to use a nail cutter?", her pitch increased a bit, with a stern look.

Okay! Whatever, she's a pro here!...I thought.

And you know what? It worked. My son was actually asleep after his bath and I, chewed off his nails one by one....actually enjoying the process, like a lil kid myself. It didn't hurt him neither did he wake up once.

Now what's there to tease in this? That's your question right? Toh picture abhi baaki....thoda ruko, sabar karo....!

Now, after my second baby, we came home on 3rd day after the delivery. My younger son had this habit of scratching his cheeks every now and then. He is a summer baby and putting mittens the whole day was a sweaty affair. So I decided to cut his nails. Now this time I was pro myself (atleast that's what I thought!). And now I had this brand new baby nail cutter. I knew I was experienced enough (being a mom to 5 year old already).

So I ignored what my mom had said the first time and in a hurry cut my baby's nail with the tiny nail-cutter.....And there he shrieked and my hands started shaking...I couldn't believe my eyes, I had hurt my baby on his 4th day of being my son. Ah! How could I be such a bad mom? Tears started rolling down my eyes. I kissed him a hundred times and said sorry.

On hearing his cry, my mom rushed upstairs to check. She saw the nail-cutter lying on the bed, my eyes, red and his finger, red too. She shook her head in disagreement, adding to my guilt. "You modern mom's, why don't you abide by tried and tested methods, sometimes atleast?", her words making it worst. "But I thought it would help", me still trying to prove my point ( And unburdening my guilt). The next day she shared this story with my hubby, making me more embarrassed.

The month after, when I saw my baby's nails had grown again, I called mom to do the honours. She smiled and did the needful.

This tale still makes rounds in my house once in a while and I feel like covering my face and hiding away!

We all have such stories, but when you get the right opportunity, you can share them. 

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