Spending ‘quarantine’ time with my son

I was looking forward to going on leave recently, to spend some relaxing time with my family. My son was excited as he had two more weeks of school holiday, and my husband and I had discussed where we would go, and how we would spend our time.
My son was excited to spend a few days with Grandad to start his holiday. Little did we know we’d end up spending  most of our days there. My Dad and I had planned to take him to the mall for a treat the next day.
When my son woke the first morning I noticed a little isolated  blister on his neck. I observed it during the day to notice no change, only to realize that more had cropped up in the evening before he fell asleep.
 It was here...the dreaded chicken pox. As I calculated his incubation period, it took him back to the last few days of the last term. So naturally I alerted the other  parents of my sons classmates  to be observant of the fact that it might be heading their way too. After having done so, two of the kids had been feeling ill on the next day, and a few others had developed the vesicles by the end of that week.

We started the usual natural treatment, and thankfully my son had no other symptoms apart from slight itching, which was relieved quite fast.
We were quite thankful that it happened now, than much later in life, which is not pleasant when you’re an adult (from experience).

We were house bound in quarantine, and somehow my son was having the best holiday ever. I’ve watched the movie ‘PETS’ at least two or three times, and the ‘The Lion King’ at least four times (apart from the other times we’ve seen it!). Dad was just a video call away thankfully, as he was missing out on all the fun. As the days went by, we were thankful & blessed for his healing everyday. He didn’t seem bothered by all of the fuss my Dad and  I were making over him.
He was more thrilled to be watching his movies with his mum (who wasn’t getting up to go to work),  and spending evenings and mornings hugging and giggling. He did imaginary story times, was determined to draw a 3-D opened box, listened to stories from his Grandad about the earlier days ( good old days), got lessons on making his favorite porridge every morning from his Grandad. When I would walk into the kitchen I would hear their two voices having a good interesting conversation.

Had to draw that box!!

When I told my son that he’s not the only one who didn’t get to being out much in his holiday, he replied that he had the best holiday as he got to spend it with mum. My heart just melted (not the first time). He has a way of doing that to me...(Ahhhh)
 I looked at him, feeling so blessed, and replied that I had an awesome holiday because I got to spend it with him.
We’d sit in the kitchen at night, he with his cup of Milo, me with my cup of tea, and chat about the day’s events (not yet 6 years old) or talk about some made up story which always intrigued me.

As much as I looked forward to going away for a short break, it actually ended up being the most valuable, precious, quality time with my son.
Sometimes plans might not actually work out the way you want it to, but there’s definitely a reason for it all, and being able to see the blessing in it, is the best part!

Unconditional LOVE

UNCONDITIONAL love is being able to LOVE and be LOVED without any limitations.

Children can make situations challenging and can test you at all the ‘wrong’ times. I’m sure many of you who are parents have been there at some point or it’s become part of a routine that you’ve accustomed yourself to.

As children grow in their exposure to everything around them, they become more experimental, daring and fearless.
Parents must have enough courage and composure to keep it all together.
It means nothing for children to push the boundaries. More so when they are persistent and insist on having it their own way.

All parents have their own way of dealing with challenging issues with their children. What works for one need not necessarily work for the other.
I read in a parenting article that children just need a hug when they’re at their worst behavior. As much as I believe in showing love to a child and giving lots of hugs, I believe there’s a fine line where they need to acknowledge that they’ve done something wrong, or their behavior was unacceptable.
As children grow through their stages in life they cannot communicate their feelings and their needs.
Their only way of communicating is reflected in their behavior which is sometimes mistaken for being naughty.


All children need to be surrounded be love, shown love and affection. Children need to be corrected when they are wrong, so they learn the difference between right and wrong, and grow up with respectable values, and how they should treat others.

Sometimes parents can really lose their cool, and can’t control their anger, especially when they’re out in public. It’s definitely a challenge to be loving at a time when your child is throwing a tantrum.
When children feel love, they feel secure and a trust is built. A child emulates the behavior they are role modeled. If they are exposed to domestic arguments, blaming and bad language , they will reflect it in their behavior too, as it becomes the norm for them, be it at home or school. We should not transfer our limitations to the next generation. This results in parents getting more angry with their children, instead of finding the root cause.


‘Time Outs’, a ‘Reflection Room’ or ‘Corner’ for children according to their age might be controversial to some, as people find alternate ways to deal with challenging behavior. It is important for children to understand the reason behind it, with a tone conveyed with love, and mostly firmness. Explanation and communication is key to the prevention of misunderstandings. At the end of those reflective minutes, the child must be spoken to with love, there should be understanding between parents and child, and a big hug with “I love you”. There should be lots of  I Love You’s, so don’t be shy to tell them as many times as you can. It’s unconditional LOVE. Often a negative behavior is portrayed as an outcry for attention. A child cannot communicate that he or she wants attention, and instead acts out in an unacceptable behavior results in the parents getting upset or annoyed.



It’s a harsh world we live in and children are not old enough to understand this until they’re exposed to the media. If love starts at home, love can spread to the school, to a mall, to a playground, to a place of worship. Love encompasses all: kindness, humility, forgiveness, encouragement and gentleness. Yes we have to gear our children for the reality of life, but we can teach them how to embrace the challenges of people or situations in life to be able to make a huge impact on others.
Surely we must believe that it’s love that makes the world go round, except for  maybe those who do not believe in love.

If we can start teaching and practicing love with our children, then we can start making a difference around us.
After all we’re all passing through this incredible journey called life, where we are always learning  and teaching, but we can make a difference and try to make it better for everyone as we go along.

SPREAD SOME LOVE TODAY ❤️



“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

- Matthew 18:1-5