Void Thoughts

Today, my kids are back in school after their two-week fall break. 

Akku was sad by the end of the first week of their break. He was upset that there was still a whole week left—he just wanted to be back in school. All of last week, he kept complaining about not having school to attend.

I remember a similar situation when Kanna was in kindergarten. We were living in the UK at that time, and it was his first year of school, which they call Reception there. 

His first break came in mid-October, and when he realized he didn’t have to go to school that week, he felt sad. In the mornings, he was happy not to wake up early or catch the bus in the chilly autumn weather, but by noon, the sadness would creep in. 

That made me feel sad, too—thinking he preferred being with his friends over spending time with me.

Now, Kanna is much happier staying home than going to school, though he prefers spending time with his friends over me. Oh well, teenagers!

I’ve grown older and wiser and have learned not to see their preferences as a reflection of their affection for me.

Coming back to last week: Akku and I visited our local library. On the way there, he complained of a tummy ache, but his face lit up like a 1000-watt bulb as soon as we began browsing his favorite section—non-fiction books for kids.  

He loves learning about animals and their behaviors. His knowledge in this area is already far beyond what I can comprehend, so I sometimes wonder what more he could possibly learn. But he always finds new books that excite him. It was a lovely experience, seeing him so happy among those books.

We got back home with a stack of books to read and the tummy ache was long forgotten. But, of course, that didn’t stop him from complaining about not having school. 

This morning, as I dropped him off at school, I saw that same happy glow on his face. He tried hard to hide it, but it shone through anyway.

My kids are weird—just like me. And I couldn’t be happier about it.

© Vinitha Dileep

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This piece is written in response to the two hundredth and twenty-first edition of Fiction Monday inspired by the below picture prompt hosted by yours truly. Do join in if you have a tale to tell.