***anomalous, unscientific post***
Mother was here with me for about a week. During this time, she went to meet some holy man through a relative. My irritation knew no bounds because I did not need a prophet to know for what reason she had gone to him. Anyways, she came back and told me that she would ‘reveal’ only after nine days.
Needless to add, I had forgotten all about the impending revelation.
Yesterday evening, mother dear phoned up…and it is then that she told me that nine days were now up. (Up for what? I wondered.)..and she said that I need to be aware of what the holy man had to say.
Please hold your hearts tight.
a. I am going to have a boy.
I have zero issues in having a girl too…but when would I have the baby?
b. The baby is on its way and would come to me soon.
So it’s like the baby has been couriered already, I guess?
c. The baby’s name should be kept xxxxxx.
Excuse moi? The right of naming my kid has hereby been withdrawn from me?
d. Do not wipe your mouth with your clothes.
LOL! I do not do that anyways…
e. The Holy Man showed a photograph of the baby to my mother!!!
Unbelievable! But my weak heart condescended and asked my mother as to how the baby looked. Mother told me – ‘Beautiful’.
[Kaudi]
f. A pillow was kept under my usual one, and I had been asked to never remove it from below me. Well, it contains two ‘kaudi’ (a small conch). When the baby is 11 months old, I have to tie those in a silver chain and the baby would wear them around the waist.
g. At 30 months, the little boy would have a pooja at xxxxx temple.
h. I can’t slap my boy’s face till the age of 15 years.
Hmmm...that quite takes away the pleasure of disciplining.
The fact is that there have been people, at different points of time (even pre-marriage, when I thought having kids was so darn easy), who have told me / my mother that my child would be like my maternal grandfather…and I would be blessed if all of them are true.
My problem is that this kind of prediction makes me feel very vulnerable. It is as if my hidden weakness is brought out in broad daylight. I am suddenly scurrying for ways to protect my emotional reserves. I can’t let them flood through again.
Also, the problem is that if some ritual part was accidentally or willingly left unfulfilled, the mind will remain constantly aware of the ‘miss’.
I have always known that I was meant to be a mother. But what emotional price, ritualistic investment, and expectations will bring about the passage to motherhood, is still an unchartered territory for me?
I can’t blame my mother. I can’t even hold her guilty for wanting to see me happy. But if the intentions are good, even bad actions are forgiven. My mind is doped up anyways.
^WiseGuy^
Image Courtesy: http://www.sushantsinghal.com/images/Kaudi.jpg
Wow, I don't know where to begin. It's hard not to just 'react', and I admit, in your shoes, I might do it in a bit of anger as I have a mother who doesn't get the whole boundary thing at all.
ReplyDeleteBut I guess at the end of it all, she will do/say what she needs to, and then you will work through it like you need to...
I really love the way that you write.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is one of my favourites.
I sometimes find comfort in the things that other people say. Mothers especially. I mean, she infuriates me to tears but only she could say some of those special things LOL
Sounds like your mum is the same.
Hugs
Sue xxx
But the one question you really want answered is WHEN?? Am I right? I guess the being on the way, could mean any number of things... But i sincerely hope for you that it means VERY VERY soon!! And i totally get it, even though there's a slight irritation with your mum doing this, you kinda wanna know to... well that's how I would feel :)
ReplyDeleteWell, I hope the predictions come true! xo
ReplyDeleteAhhhh... the so called "holy men". Unbelievable... aren't they. In my case, its not my mom, its my grandfather that visits them! And what was I told? Two boys!! Thats right TWO. Even though it irritates me to the core that there are people that make a living by predicting the "future". For some unbeknownest reason, I held onto that piece of prediction. There is this little spark that kinda sorta wants to believe that I will have two boys. One way or another. Eh... whatever!
ReplyDeleteBut "can't slap the kid for 15 yrs"??!? Come on, now THAT takes the fun out of disciplining them!
I always liked "predictions", given to me through the years. Until I got them and then it's like I felt I had to hold up my end of the bargain with them, or make them wrong. I always said it was for fun, but then regretted it.
ReplyDeleteThe "holy man" though, I don't quite understand. Then the rest of the things you are to do into childhood and even teenage years, I guess I just don't get it.
Pshht. Talk about setting yourself up to "fail" if you don't do those exact things just "right". How would you know if it was the ritual or not?
ReplyDeleteRitual can be comforting, but not if you are a slave to it.
Mothers, eh?
xxx
I feel an immense amount of pressure to live up to predictions. If it doesn't happen, I feel like I let people down.
ReplyDeleteI hope these come true, obviously, but it makes me nervous for you. Is that weird?
The part of my brain that is all rainbows and sunshine wants to hold on to this Holy Man's sayings as "YES IT'LL HAPPEN", but then I can see how disappointed I would be (if I were in your place).
ReplyDeleteI'll just hold out hope for you, that this man is correct. Even if it does make all your fears rise to the surface.
*HUGS*
It's hard not to believe his prediction.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to believe it.
I hope you're blessed soon, either way.
((HUGS))
I hope and pray your baby comes soon. {{{Hugs}}}
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the ever present "pandits" that can help push you to the outcome you want, or at least convince you of it. I have such a difficult time, especially when its not something I want to hear. How do you deal with it? Do you believe? Do you put it in a corner of your mind?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, just found your blog and wanted to say "hi", as I am enjoying your posts and finding a lot of head nodding in the process. :)
Meh, as you know I had my own version of seeing a holy man of late - it's something that I always approach with a HUGE dose of sceptisism...
ReplyDeleteHope you get that baby my dear. No matter what the sex is...
I saw a well-known local psychic a few months after meeting Mr S, who told me we would marry, that he was an ocean baby, that we would have a son who had Mr S's exact personality, and the children we had would be the joys of our lives. I kept clinging to that last bit, as hope that we would battle and defeat our IF repeatedly. The first three of her predictions have some true so far.
ReplyDeleteEven as off the wall some people's predictions would be, I would find myself clinging to their hope. The hope I didn't have.
ReplyDeleteI think your mother is doing everything she can to make her little girl's wishes come true.