May I always see you smiling !

 

Once you were so small

you fit easily within my hands.

Today you have grown so much

that even my arms cannot hold you the same way.

Back then my heart carried quiet worries,

wondering if I would make mistakes

while raising my son,

learning motherhood step by step.

Muttasi would smile at my anxious thoughts

and gently remind me,

“Children are all the same in this world—

sons and daughters alike.”

You were the youngest in our home,

showered with love from every corner.

Yet you never took advantage of that affection;

simplicity and kindness stayed with you.

Nineteen years have passed,

but a mother’s heart remains the same—

filled with care, pride, and quiet joy.

Stay happy always.

Never bring sorrow to another soul.

Whenever you can, lend a helping hand,

for humanity still lives in such acts.

My only prayer is simple:

may life treat you kindly,

and may I always see you smiling

as you walk your own path in this world.

~ Dawn

Rahi turns Thirteen!!!

Dear Rahi,

It's again that special day of the year - March 8th - when you were born but guess what it's the 13th year.
Being a mother no matter how many birthdays you celebrate you're still a kid to me. Every year I go through this memory lane on your birthday because I really wonder how these times are flying with a blink of my eyes.

The journey is exciting and a beautiful learning for me as a parent because each time I am cautious and protective for you, each time you surprise me with your answers and your way of handling things. 
This year, I was nervous for you as you stepped into middle school. I felt you are naive and the world is not so my worries were how you would adapt things and to my surprise when you shared how kids bully you in the school for your height, for you voice because you're yet to hit puberty and I started worrying how these kids do like that in school even though there are so many programs for 'not to bully' or 'stop bullying'! 

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

And you would say, "Mom I told them don't worry it will happen when it will happen. I am not worried so why you're worried for my height and my voice".

I was amazed at your response. I am sure you face such things everyday in different ways and you're facing these changes and learning to cope with it. There might be things that you may not like or may get hurt with and you face it so maturely. I really don't know when did you grow up this big to adapt to the changes in your surroundings and manage the new change in your life.

On this day when you're officially a teenager, I want to say thank you for being who you are! For listening to us and for understanding our chaos with work and home front and being patient with us.

I wish you all the best for your passions and your interests in ventriloquism, singing and animation. I admire your creative mind and the ways you think which I often see through your songs, and animation stories. World may not be all that good as you think but I like that you carry the goodness for this world.

"Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value". ~ Albert Einstein 

Keep it that way because some day this world will understand and learn from you, to spread love to all living beings.

Happy Birthday my Son!

"Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love." ~ Lao Tzu

~ Dawn

Rahi turns Twelve :)

It was this day around 12 years back when I was cut to part a piece of me from my body and my soul.

Yes, every mother would understand when I say this because the ten months attachment which grows like a part of you and then are placed in front of you as a specimen – here’s your baby!

Even though the umbilical cord is cut, and the baby is separated from the mother, the child is never separated from the soul of the mother. It is that connection which always makes her worry for her child in every thick or thin times.

Thinking that it is 12 years feels like yesterday and the handsome young man that you have turned into is really amazing because my eyes have seen you changing from that infant to this young man Rahi, that you are today.

Your naïve nature and innocence have always worried me because I always feel you are in a dream world and it is true that you’re a dreamer as your stories are also related to a world which we all dream to be in. But the reality is much far from that and hence, sometimes I worry how you will cope-up with the insensitive world.

But this morning when you were telling me the incident that occurred in your class with your friend Mahnoor, where some kid was being naughty, and they were treating other kid like a slave and Mahnoor raised her concern with that kid as not to do but still he did. This made Mahnoor upset and hence she went to tell her teacher about it. Class Teacher took it as kid’s game, and she said if they are fine then you shouldn’t bother. This made Mahnoor feel sad and angry. You as a good and caring friend went to make her laugh and with your silly gesture she did laugh!

When I asked you why? what made you do so?, And your answer was that when Mahnoor gets angry she gets headache and she was holding her head, so I figured something is upsetting her.

No matter how insensitive this world may be my dear Rahi be who you are and never change. Because this is what we need more, and I am sure with your generation things will change.

Wishing you loads of love and wishes for your dreams to come true. The way every day you say, ‘I love you Mom’!, without any reason like a song, each time I thank for having you in my life. We only planned to have a baby, but we had no clue when you will be born and how you would be, but it happened to be on Women’s International Day – March 8^th and you a Feminist by nature what can I ask more!!!

Happy Birthday Son, enjoy and yes, eat less sweet hon!

~ Dawn

Happy Birthday Dear Rahi :)

It’s Happy International Women’s Day today, yet for me it’s special because it’s my Son Rahi’s birthday.

Each year on birthdays a mother walks the journey again from the day she conceived her child. It’s a path that no mother gets tired or bored of because in each year the journey becomes more interesting and meaningful with memories. With each year, I see him growing more aware yet challenging. Sometimes, I have all the answers for him to think rationally yet sometimes I am speechless to his questions which make me wonder at times.

“Why do we have to go to school, why can’t I just come to your office and work?”

Sometimes you find it cute and sometimes you think is there something that I should worry about?

“From the moment they placed you in my arms, You snuggled right into my heart”

After all a mother is a mother who has always fear and worry to make sure her child is safe and sound in this mean world.

I am proud to see Rahi, being polite yet telling those kids who bully him and his other classmates, how not to hurt the feelings.

When I visit his school for field trips or color runs, the mothers of his classmates come and appreciate Rahi, I feel content.

I want my kids to love and spread the love across the world even where there is hatred.

Looking at Rahi who is 11 now, makes me feel my son is growing up yet his feminist thoughts and support for the needy makes me feel how matured he is getting.

“Let me love you a little more before you’re not little anymore”

Rahi, you not only surprise me with your every day story from school, you also make me proud of you for who you are. I loved when you wore Katie Perry’s t-shirt and boys in your class bullied you, you stood up for yourself and didn’t hesitate to wear it again even though I reminded you of the bully. I like the way you ignore certain things and I do love the way you share small things that took place in your class. It only makes me happy and teary with joy.

Rahi,I wish you a very happy birthday and I will say never change because I would not want you to change anything about yourself for anyone in this world.

You are so pure and pious in your heart that you melt everyone’s heart. Those who bully you also know this and hence sometimes they are jealous of you. Be patient with them as they need some time to understand and realize about things that they don’t think of many times.

We don’t know what they are going through in their life and hence they react in certain way which hurts others in many ways.

“My Son you may have outgrown my lap but you will never outgrow my Heart”

I see many times your leadership skills when you talk to your seniors and your classmates telling how not to bully or say bad words for girls and how to respect them just like how you would do to your sisters and moms. You make me feel a boy like you is always a joy ;)

“Son, may every dream and wish you have not only come true but also lead to an amazing future for you”

A very happy 11th birthday to you Rahi!

~ Dawn

Happy 10th Birthday Dear Rahi

As kids grow each year, a mother adds another year of growing with them. My son Rahi turned 10 today and as much I am excited for him to be growing from a big boy to a man, it also gives me immense happiness that his mind is adapting to things around him in a way that his perspective is forming about things that surrounds him. It may be about relationship, it may be about friends, gender you name it and he has a very broadminded look out towards each.

Rahi all I want to say to you is ‘I love this boy’ who is so kind and friendly to people that anyone can be your friend and can come and confide their story with you and they will be sure that you won’t judge them.

As a mother, I always want you to think from your perspective and from others perspective as well so that you can understand what they feel and based on that you can relate and reciprocate to their situation.

Your open thoughts when you share with me, it makes me happy about your pure heart and at the same time I worry for you to be in this world which is not all that good. So, be careful and be conscious of those things and don’t let anyone take advantage of you.

As your name means ‘traveler’, be that traveler who enjoys the journey and while enjoying he learns and gives back memories to cherish.

There will be all kinds of people in the world, but look what you would like to see and be treated as and do so to others as well.

Some may say 10 is not a big number yes, but when I see you in my arms when you were 6 months and now when 10, it's not too far when you will carry me the way I carry you now. It’s a mixed feeling for a mother because it brings back all the sweet memories right from conceiving you to deliver you to all those toddler days and one thing was always common about you - you were always smiling.

Keep that smile always because even if you’re not having a good day, but your smile can make someone else’s day. Be that curious man, helping and considerate one with your passion to sing and meet your favorite singers. Dreams do come true sooner or later you will realize that.

For now, I will say enjoy every part of your journey my dear Rahi (traveler).

A Very Happy 10th Birthday Rahi

A mother's heart is always melting for her children and it's never ending - Dawn

~ Dawn