Think of the times when you’ve seen the child in the eyes of the most unsuspecting adults. Perhaps when you went to that amazing theme park, or while you watched Hera Pheri on TV for the first time?
I saw the look on my fathers face when I was taking him to the doctor on Wednesday… for a tetanus injection. :)
My father, the person from whom I inherit traits like independence, strength and the weakness of not showing weaknesses, is the caretaker… always has been. He fusses over our health, eating and drinking (water only) habits, worries a lot, and has a host of prescriptions ready at the tip of his tongue whenever something goes wrong, no matter how trivial. Just the other day I heard him telling my next door neighbour the best ways to counter the side effects of heavy medicines for my neighbour’s mother-in-law’s sister’s grandson who was having a stomach upset. Jeez!
So when he asked me in a really small voice if the tetanus injection was going to hurt, I looked at him in total surprise and then burst out laughing. He told me he had never taken an injection, or at least that he doesn’t remember it. Looking at his sheepish expression, I suddenly realised how little I knew about my own father. For starters, how many times had I visited the doctor with him when I wasn’t the patient? Not once. My father rarely fell sick (another trait I’ve thankfully inherited from him) but even on the rare occasions that he did catch a cold or ran a fever, he diligently avoided the doctor. I’ve been trying to get him to go for a full medical check-up ever since he turned 55 last year, but he always finds some excuse to avoid it. How did I miss this? My father, Mr. Dependable-cum-medical-dictionary was scared of Doctors!!!
My mum, on the other hand, is a completely different case. Its not that she loves doctors, it’s that she can’t avoid them. She is somehow always sick, her one constant problem is cold, cough and every other ailment related to it. Monsoons and winter are her mortal enemies, and this time both came down strong on her. It’s safe to say, she pretty much coughed her way through the entire 2010.
We always poke fun at her for her constant bouts of flu. I even suggested that for 2011 she should make a New Year resolution to not run to the doctor more than once a month. She dint take it too kindly. She replied sarcastically to point out that if it weren’t for her, my medical allowance would run dry! And she has a point.
Doctors, medicines, needle… such a constant part of our lives, we don’t even think about them anymore. Not unless some part of you suddenly wakes up to the obvious and ponders over it long enough to sit and write about it.
One minute you’re the kid sitting teary eyed in the dentist’s chair while he – sweating profusely – tries to wrench your stuck jaw open (extremely scary-hilarious story, wait for the next post), and next minute you’re the parent holding your parent-kid’s hand while he braves the tetanus needle…
Seeing the child in him for the first time… the hilarity of it, the innocence I cannot describe…
Yeah, suddenly made me skip a few years in life! :)
P.S. - I know the above image is a little too cute for this post, but like I said, its just too cute. Found it Here
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