Continuing the legacy of my coincidences with Vasudha, here I go writing about the great expectations we have when we are ‘expecting’ ! Sailing in the same ship and having reached the same port she crossed a few days ago I now completely understand and identify with every feeling and every sentiment she expressed. It feels so natural for us to feel the same vibes when we reach this particular stage of life what with the whole world and us acting so predictably when it comes to some ‘Great Expectations’.
Whoever must have coined the term “Expecting” to mean ‘to carry’ or ‘being pregnant’ must be repenting big time now. When it was actually meant to be ‘expecting a baby’, it is now seen as a saga of endless ‘expectations’ from a poor soul carrying another poor soul !
These great expectations usually begin with the world inquisitively enquiring about our gender preference of the baby. If you want a boy, they praise how nice it is to have a girl and vice-versa. And once the session on the gender is over it moves on to the looks of the baby. In my case, my world wants a Jr. Phani with those dimples, a cousin wants a Jr. Haritha with all that energy, yet another aunt comments about the dark complexion of the recent new-born of some relative and emphasises why I shouldnt be ignoring 'Saffron'. Another friend expects me to have lots of fruits so that the kid is chubby n smart. And how can I forget their predictions about our baby becoming an MBA like the mom or an M.Tech like the dad!!
I dint act any different. I had my share of expectations once the excitement of expecting began. I expected to have a boy who is fair n smart like his dad and active n talkative like his mom, tall like his mama and chripy like his pinnis. I expect him to grow up as the naughtiest kid breaking every object he can lay hands on, biting every hand that pinches his cheeks and hitting the moment people of my hate-list come closer :P !! There's more to this expectations list. I expected to have someone who goes to school without a tear, loses a pencil a day, opens the books only to tear away the pages, has a fight everyday with the big bad boys and has the guts to say NO to his teacher. Despite all this, he should be a true mamma's boy and a gud son to his mom! I expected to have a super whizkid who would be another Gates or an Amartya or an MS or a Leonardo or atleast our own Prabhu deva excelling in some field. If nothing happens he should atleast be an IITian like his dad :P. Phew !!
Now when I am entering the last month of my pregnancy, I look back at all of my great expectations with utter disbelief and laugh at myself. There is an eerie sense of calmness and stability and I am all emotional about the arriving bundle of joy. If only the world asked me to take 'Saffron' coz it acts as a good blood purifier, if only they advised to take lots of fruits coz they increase the body's resistance etc...the fact that they are linked to the baby's beauty and their expectations is very sad !
It is natural for us to expect the "best" possible outcome in whatever we do but now I feel its more important to smilingly accept any outcome as the "best" one ! Obviously, I cant expect to grow lillies by planting a rose plant :D
What if my baby expects to open his eyes to see an Aishwarya as her mom?!
