Innocent Questions

This happened about a month ago when this blog was not yet functional. Now that it is, I’d like to share this anecdote.

It was a lazy evening on a Saturday, but I was working – busy writing content for a client. Panna had just woken up from his afternoon nap and was still in his drowsy, irritable mood. So I asked my husband  Pavan  to take him to the park. The moment I said park, Panna instantly asked me, Amma, Park alli nandu chaddi unta? (Mamma, is my chaddi (all bottom wears, whether a bloomer or a shorts, are all referred to simply as chaddi in my home) in the park?)

Chaddi in the park?

What was he saying I wondered?

Then it dawned on me - the incident that happened the day before – I had put very nice white pajama shorts of Panna to dry on the balcony grill. My Panna, the playful naughty self that he is, in an impulsive instant, threw the said shorts down. It landed four floors below in the parking lot. 

Not having had his fill at throwing the shorts, Panna also wanted to take a look at the fallen shorts and see where it had landed. I picked him up and through the grills showed him the shorts and told him that it is lying in the PARKING LOT and that we’ll pick it up later. The word parking lot – with the park in it – registered in his mind.

And today when I said park, he put 2 and 2 together, associated park with his shorts and asked me that question, Are my shorts there in the park, Mamma?

Pavan and I had a nice laugh over it. Then I told Panna that the Parking Lot Park is different from playing Park. One has cars and bikes standing and the other has swings, see-saws and slides.

He seemed to get it.

“Naav eega Park hoguva“(Let’s go to park Pappa) he said and ran to the door.