PARENTING UNPLUGGED – THE DRAMA MAMA DIARIES BY LALITHA RAMANATHAN
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"What's life without a little drama and lots of
laughs?" asks Lalitha Ramanathan, the author of Parenting Unplugged - The Drama Mama Diaries. This
book, which houses a collection of conversations a mother has with her little
human, focuses on humour for the harried mother's soul. As the author puts it,
"Parenting has been an adventure beyond my wildest dreams."
Right from the moment a little dragon was born, (the
parents lived in Singapore), and even before... from a tiny blob on the screen
to a little human who resembled her father, there is a sense of fun that weaves
through the entire narrative. With humorous asides that pepper all 20 chapters,
the author pinpoints her experiences as a parent, taking the readers over a
whirlwind of activities at each stage of her daughter's life.
The book spans across the mother-daughter relationship,
capturing cameos of sweet innocence, temperamental moments, sleep deprivation,
the home-career balance, celebrations, skill development, work deadlines and
holiday stress. As Lalitha Ramanathan emphasises, "There is no respite for
the enthusiastic parent."
It is amazing to see a little girl grow into a
well-spoken teenager, especially when she thrives on repartee, retorts and
reading. Though written from a mother's point of view, the father's role is
also significant. The importance of a good parenting partnership can never be
denied. Levelling up with Junior needs dual parenting. After all, the Wonder
Woman syndrome is a precursor to burnout, a fact which the author knows, and she
relies on humour to get through the stressful situations.
Nuggets of wisdom abound in the book.
"At the end of the day, all that matters is that we
are raising happy and healthy children."
On sleep-deprived moms, the author has this to add.
"As mothers, we are all trying our best, and
whatever we do is magic."
On unsolicited advice ('atmospheric disturbances'), she
offers a piece of advice on the best stress buster.
"It's cancelling out the noise, reacting less and
breathing more."
Alliteration seems to be a forte of the author,
especially in the case of the chapter titles.
Milestones, Meetings and Milk-Stains; Toys, Teeth, and
Tiny Triumphs; Pages, Paperbacks, and Playful Plots and the like!
The book is replete with touches of humour. For example,
baking a cake with Munchkin was no piece of cake. "Fifteen minutes later,
I resembled Casper the ghost, with flour on my face and clouds of powdered
sugar flying in the air."
The visit of the Tooth Fairy had its moments of
anticipation. "... the tooth that had announced its intent to leave
remained firmly rooted like an overstaying guest."
In the chapter titled ‘Pandemic Programming Parenting
Plots’, the author reminisces over the repercussions and lessons learnt during
this trying period, and how to be well equipped in future as well. “Children
have lost a tiny chunk of their childhood, and online exposure has had long–term effects on their mental health.”
This book is, again in the words of the author (for who could say it better?), a ‘laugh-out-loud and introspect book’, which could help
many other parents to identify with similar situations in their own lives, and inspire
them to wake up to the world, “woke and wise”.
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'This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon.'
https://www.theblogchatter.com
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