The past and the present
Monday, February 2, 2009 at 10:35PM Just after picking up Jr. from school:
Jr. : There is a book fair in my school.
Me : When?
Jr. : You won't give me money anyways right!?
Me : Okay. This time, WILL give you some money.
Jr. : My teacher says I need some bills. like phone bills or something to buy the books.
Me : ????? I think she meant dollar bills.
Jr. : yes, right.. she said we can only bring dollar bills. no Indian bills, no Canadian bills either!
Me : (thinking...at least I tell Jr. no money to her face. disappointing the kid by giving foreign exchange is not right) She is right! You need dollar bills.
LO : (chips in from behind) how about Seattle bills?
Jr. : No silly. Only California bills!
Me : (laughing) Same bills in Seattle and California kids. It is the US Dollar!
Jr. thinks that people give us dollar bills when we finish shopping at the local grocery store! We use cards whenever we go buy gas, groceries, costco shop, etc.
The only time Jr. sees money change hands is when we ask for cash back after buying groceries, which usually is to buy tickets at the desi movie theater and Jr. never witenesses that transaction where we hand over the money! Took me a few days to understand why she thought that and explain the concept of money vs. cards.
We came home to another conversation
Jr. : Daddy is going to give me some money to buy books amma!
San : why? you have all the books you want from the library
Jr. : No. I want to buy some books to keep forever.
San : how much is he giving you?
Jr. : Ten dollars
San : You get four. Which book are you going to buy.
Jr. : this one (pulls a catalog and shows some spongebob squarepants book). I have already read it!
San : What ?! You should buy a book you have not read yet.
Jr. : I like that book. So I want to have it in our house.
(by now I am wondering where this is going to go, as we listen to the same CD over and over again.. maybe Jr. likes to read the same book over and over again?)
San : Why do you want to buy a book that you have already finished reading? Why don't you buy a new book?
Jr. : (realizing that she cannot argue her way out with mom, changes the tone)Actually I have only read the cover of that book and the first few pages. Haven't read it fully!
San : (now laughing) I didnt just become "____" (Voldemortage) without crossing six. I was six years old once too you know. You cannot fool me!
Jr. : (giggles and finally decides on a new book that was four bucks!)
Sometimes I am glad that my wife was six years old at one point and remembers everything. She seems to be more ready for a growing Jr. than I am!
We do buy them books, every now and then. They got books for Christmas presents, birthday presents, when they really pestered us to buy something at the Mall recently, etc.
Believe it or not, we are allowed to check out, upto 21 books at a time in the Library and they have a reallllllly nice collection of young reader books and you can keep them for upto 3 weeks. Also, Jr. has been going through 3-4 books a day in the last three weeks as part of a reading program and is really hooked.
My best memories of college or school are at the Library!
When we were in middle school every wednesday we would get to check out one book and return it the following wednesday. Couldn't wait for that day and we would stand in line after school, to get the next 3 investigators, hardy boys etc.. and before you know it, it was Jules Verne, Conan Doyle and Earl Stanley Gardner and we exited high school!
The BHU library was just plain amazing. You could just drown youself in an ocean of books in that place and be happy and contented browsing, reading.. what memories!
The libraries in the US were better, what with computerized VAX search tools of the entire catalog! Took a part time job shelving books on saturday and sunday for minimum wage when I was in grad school. It was great because I would get to reshelve the books, remember which ones to check out later and read them during the week and also get paid for it.
Wish Jr. takes to the library like her dad. She is guaranteed to have fun!
ps. Voldermort-age = the age that cannot be spoken
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books, conversations, jr. books, library, reading, things kids say
Reader Comments (4)
Hi Sundar!!
I simply looovvvved the conversation between Jr and San....hilarious....and trust Jr. to reply like that on the spongebob squarepants book!!!
Damn cutie she is......and I hope she gets to buy both the books :))
Deepa
heh - I can so see this conversation...but we're (Read I) suckers for the book fair - I love owning a book that I love (and like jr. I usually only buy books that I have read and love!)...and now I see my kids going the same way...we may be buried under books (and the attendant clutter/dust etc.) but I'm happy!
M
Aww.. that's so adorable :)
When those pamphlets came and I'd take it home to show my parents, I always asked for money to buy posters! *dunno* and Ammah would be like you want to buy pictures and I'd be like yes I've read most of the books.
I love how Junior said 10 dollars and your wife said $4 and I love how LO contributed her bit with the different state bills. Rofl. Must be hard not to laugh at some of the things they come up with eh?But never a dull moment with those two around right!
Very cute.. kids at their best! I also buy my little one lot of books, mostly to instill some love for printed paper since she can't read yet.. Voldermortage -- i like the association :)