Feat of Clay

The tooth fairy visited Nikita 2 weeks back & left 10dhs under her pillow[the tooth fairy got fed up of leaving gifts coz teeth kept falling with unfailing regularity].

Contrary to our expectations, Nikita was thrilled to receive money instead of a gift & we were hitting ourselves for spending so much money on gifts the last 2 yrs when we could have gotten away with keeping dhs.10 under the pillow.

Now Nikita walked around with that amount the whole of the next week wondering what to buy. Finally she decided on a packet of coloured clay. Much against my better judgment I let her pick it up. A year back the sisters made so much mess with some clay they had that I decided never to get it for them again until they were old enough to clean up after themselves.

There was a lot of improvement this year…they actually made models of things & I was quite impressed with their creative outbursts.

I’m going to relate to you something which took place & do want to know what you think.


A week back Nikita[7½ yrs] & Naina[5yrs] came to me with their hands behind their back…

Nikita: Mama we’ll show you something & you have to tell us which one you like best.

Mama[without agreeing to their conditions]: Show me the things first.

Naina: Taaaantaaaadan……

Naina[excitedly]: Ok which one do u like best?????

Nikita[confidently]: You’ve got to choose whichever model is the best.

I’m in a quandary here. I know which one looks better[both are supposed to be birds by the way]…..but how can I rate one above the other & disappoint the owner of the not-so best one??? Once in a while they put me in a situation like this & usually I wriggle out with a standard answer.

Mama: Ohhhhh they are sooooo beautiful, I like both of them.

Nikita[disappointed]: Noooooo….you’ve got to choose one.

Mama: Well I can’t help it if I like both, can I????

Both of them murmuring disappointedly went away after I clicked pictures of their exhibits.

Half an hour later….

They come back with their hands behind their backs again.

Nikita: Mama, we’ve made new things & this time please don’t say you like both.

Nikita & Naina[together]: Okkkkkkkk please, please, please????

Mama[sighes in exasperation]: Alright show it to me.

Taaaantadaaaaan…..

Since I have no creative abilities to speak of I'm always impressed when I see the kids doing even the simplest of things. Now Nikita’s Crab looks good to my eyes but when I look up I see Naina’s face which has a defeated look…like she knows her sister’s model looks better & her distress was clear at her inability to make a nice exhibit[her’s was supposed to be a dragon, by the way].

Nikita: You HAVE to tell us which is the best, please, please, please you have to.

Naina: Yes Mama you have to.

Mama who had no idea how to tackle the situation took the easy way out

“I don’t like both”!!!!!

“MAMA” wail both in unison.

Nikita: Naina I know why mama is doing this. Mama doesn’t want to choose one & make the loser feel bad, so she is simply saying that she doesn’t like both.

I shake my head in amused irritation that she read me so well.

Nikita: Mama we are going to make something else & this time please don’t say you like both or that you don’t like both. You have to choose one as the best.

Naina[in renewed enthusiasm]: Yes you have to choose.

They go away & Nikita comes back after 2 minutes without Naina’s knowledge & advises me.
“Mama, I know why you can doing this, you don’t want to hurt one of us right by choosing the better thing. Why don’t you do 1 thing…….just judge the clay models by giving a 1st prize & a 2nd prize, that way we both win prizes & won’t feel bad at all”.

She then rushess away to make her model & I stare after her in wonder. Now why didn’t I think of that????

In the end that’s what I did…..declared 1st & 2nd prizes.

And the below were made a few days back….just couldn’t help putting them up.....you know, to show it off. In case you are wondering if Naina’s exhibit is a bomb, yes it is………you know the one’s which Tom & Jerry use to blow eachother up, yeah its modeled on that.

Now I’m curious…..how do all of You deal with this kind of situation??? And those who don’t have kids, do you remember how your parents dealt with this kind of situation??? And those who don’t have kids or dont remember how your parents dealed with this, how do You think this kind of situation should be dealt with?????

And finally for those who are not interested in answering the above question, let me ask you another question.....can you take a guess what Naina had made in the 3rd picture[next to Nikita's sofa & flower]?????
I ask coz I couldn't figure it out when she first showed them to me but had a hearty laugh when I found out.

Edited to add: Its drumsticks People............. she made Chicken legs. Naina is fond of fried chicken legs..........so I guess it was instinctive of her to have made it so close to dinnertime. Rows of the same thing confused me too at first.........anyways I had so much fun reading all the imaginative comments.............heeeeee:-D. A big hand to umas, everybody!!!!!! She added the word Chicken to everybody else's lollipop:-D!!!!!!