Let me at least hold my toys

Having toys is different from holding (and playing with) toys. For the last few months I have been seeing this strange behavior of human beings. Why bring in a gift, if you can’t give it to the person for whom it was bought?

For example, Sumathi…one of my aunts bought a squeaky cat for me. Just when my mother was about to place it in my cradle, my aunt said: “Bhabhi, don’t you want to wash it first?”

I thought my aunt was being sarcastic of my mother’s cleanliness…..but no she was serious. Both my aunt and my mother then washed the toy with detergent, and then with Dettol and left it to dry in the sun.

They then spoke of the times when their families were poor and how they never had toys to play and how they had to create their own toys. Their concern was that I was just 3 months old and already had 34 toys. Is it my fault that I was born into a rich family? Actually, I don’t know my family’s bank balances yet, but my parents eat bread and jam for breakfast – so they ought to be rich.

If only I could talk, I would like to inform these two ladies that of the 34 toys I have, I haven’t yet touch 33. The one I have been given to play with is the Teether, which is anyway always sticky with saliva.

If only my mother would give me my toys to hold.