Bonding on the beach...

Ah, how glad I'm to be a mother after 6 years. No, no, don't get me wrong. I'm not expecting again - hahaha! I meant mother in the true sense to my 6-year-old daughter. Somehow I've never had the opportunity to get to know my own daughter while I was ever so eager to make a lot of friends-for-life outside of home. And so, it felt nice when I tried a bit of bonding on the beach with my daughter this Friendship Day!

As soon as I woke up on Sunday, I've made up my mind to spend a lot of quality time with my daughter - not just do the regular stuff but something more meaningful, something different from our usual routine, and make it special for her. So I had an unsigned agreement with Srishtii that by the time I finish cooking, she should be done with her homework so we could go to the beach and play in the sea. She didn't believe me initially because whenever I take her to the beach she only gets to play in the sand - I don't let her venture out into the water. That's something only her dad does!

Nevertheless, she completed her homework and, as promised, we got ready, crossed the road and walked on the sand as fishermen weaved their new nets and boats were being rowed to the shore. I paused a while on the sand - just enough time to check if Srishtii would be disappointed, but she wasn't :-). She only looked questioningly (not accusingly, mind you!) - an inquisitive expression writ large on her face - as if she's still wondering if we're getting into the sea to play with water or not.

I cannot forget the jubilant look on her face, and the excitment in her eyes when I asked her to remove her chappals as I did the same. Slowly we walked towards the sea, into the water. The first wave barely touched our feet as my daughter was still apprehensive about me being able to hold her tight, without letting her fall, while she swims in the waves. As I nudged her a bit, she gave in, though reluctantly at first, and let the water surround her legs up to the knee. That did the trick, I must say! And she didn't want to let go of the feeling of being engulfed by the sea. Immediately, she sat down and got wet completely.

After all, she's our daughter -- isn't it only natural that she inherits the fascination we both have for the sea, the beach and the water!! And there she was - a living proof of our shared passions - soaked in water and sand from head to toe :-) . Watching my little baby play without a care in the world and with unending excitement for over 45 minutes was the best gift I could ever ask for on the Friendship Day.

Have I succeeded in becoming a proud part of her list of 'friends' - which includes quite a few classmates, bus-mates, cousins, friends' friends, my friends too - I wonder! I've no answers yet, but I might have soon - someday in the near future, or perhaps when she grows up to be a teenager. If the base of this bonding is strong enough to last a lifetime that is! And I'm eagerly awaiting my answer...