This and that with the Gs

Every night I read a story to the kids before bedtime. Sometimes it is in English and sometimes in Dutch, occasionally stories from my head.  One each of their choosing. We progress very slowly because I like to explain in Hindi, followed by English. For Dutch I prefer only the easy ones, because at night my processor speed is slow and reading in a foreign language takes double the effort. Which is one reason I am planning to discontinue my French lessons which are evening, rather night lessons. I really need to work on my English :P. And I am no polyglot like my mother. She still remembers her high-school French and can pick up languages just like that. Me, I am forever W-I-P.


Once in a week, the husband puts the kids to bed when I'm fighting sleep in my French class. So he asked the girls to get their story books. lil G who can't identify most alphabets yet, keeps away her Dutch books and gets an English one for her dad. "You can read this, Pappa, this book is not Nederlands."

Some other times too, I don't comment on the frequency here:), the husband volunteers to put them to bed. Often the kids are ecstatic at the proposition but last time lil G was very vocal in her demand for me. I told her, but it is fun with Daddy too. No, she says, he cannot read Netherlands and he only knows bhagwan stories:) He also not know stories in the head.

All this while, her big sister, indifferent to the chaos and confusion around her is nose deep into a book of her choice.  Each has a favorite toy to sleep with. So it is Brownie bear for Big G and lil G has two offsprings to take care of - Pinochio Penguin and Blauwe Fee (Blue fairy). Big G also sleeps with a small torch because of the dark. There is a big 8-watt night lamp on in their room, but never mind. Sometimes the two sisters take long to settle down and then I have to threaten to call any of those mentioned here. But increasingly and thankfully so, the two sisters call my bluff. So the day ends and my two little snugbugs snuggled in the covers,  lost to their world of dreams. Me, I remember to breathe first.