My 7-year
course

My daughter's taught me
many lessons


It started in March
1999

when my teacher was born.

Not many can lay claim

to carrying their teacher in their arms.



My first lesson was listening,

To unspoken words.

Reading body language.

Talking with the eye,

By touch, and warmth.





Then came the lesson of discovery.

She saw everything with awe.

And things for what they were.

Real and magical.

Both rolled in one.



Soon what followed was trust.

Total trust in her da da.

I learnt responsibility.

Realised the value of quality time

lay in simple joys.

Not expensive toys



She taught me the power of fantasy.

To dream. To create magic.

To conjure stories out of thin air.

That touch. Feel. Fly.



I learnt how she listened to her body.

The food that she ate.

Always right for the season.

No to junk.

Yes to nature.



And the most important lesson.

Never to take sides.

But love unconditionally.

Even when she was hurt.



I've learnt to be spontaneous.

To say what's right.

And be quiet.

To accept love.

And be hugged unexpectedly.



I've learnt to adjust.

To be open to change.

My teacher lives what she teaches.

All the time.



I see things through her eyes.

Plain and simple.



My 7-year old teacher

She's taught me to live.

Arpita Mahipal said...

10:58 AM | 6/Mar/07 | |

The good old saying "The child is
the father of man." could be re-framed to "The child is the
teacher of man." great ex-pression from a doting father!!

richa bhagwat said...

9:25 AM | 1/Mar/07 | |

cho chweet,ur teacher is.U are a very lucky man,to
have a brilliant teacher like her.Nice writting..................ME

aparna m said...

10:36 PM | 23/Feb/07 | |

u r simply a wonderful writer... n she
is simply so adorable... wish u more wonderful lessons from the young
teacher

shivani narula said...

3:55 PM | 13/Feb/07 | |

a very heart warming confession of a
father ...............am blessed myself with two beautiful princesses and
after reaching home from my work its fun to be with them they de stress me
so much...............and help me relive my own childhood in
ways...........may be known to my mom and now i am getting a glimpse...

ayesha julka said...

12:01 PM | 10/Feb/07 | |

hi caje u write great feelings enjoy
the unconditional love! love to ur
daughter and kudos to a father of a lovely princess.

Malini Laskar said...

4:51 PM | 1/Feb/07 | |

That was wonderful. I too have a
daughter of 6 years and she is my complete life.

Hot Flash said...

6:19 PM | 15/Jan/07 | |

you make life beautiful....you have
begun a voyage sometime in your life.....God Bless!

Sari said...

7:05 PM | 10/Jan/07 | |

its wonderful!a child indeed teached u
to live.

Doldrums Dolz said...

8:20 AM | 9/Jan/07 | |

Wonderful! one is as old a parent as
the child!

Pradnya D said...

9:07 PM | 25/Dec/06 | |

Lovely!

rakhee said...

9:41 PM | 5/Dec/06 |

Hey! i m not a rediff blogger but when
i read this poem i was touched.....as a mom to be i can only wished to be
taught like your seven year old angel.

Sandhya Suri said...

1:44 PM | 14/Nov/06 | |

They do teach...and what a brillaint
way of teaching. God bless you both!

Friendly Ghost said...

4:10 PM | 12/Nov/06 | |

Beautiful, yea! I agree!

meena sundar said...

4:18 PM | 10/Nov/06 | |

BEAUTIFUL ... !!!

senti women said...

2:10 PM | 10/Nov/06 | |

that was a lovely piece for a lovely
girl. but m i wrong in saying that girls are worth this. i too have a
daughter and can empathize with you on the same note.

madhavi sreenivasan said...

12:32 PM | 8/Nov/06 | |

wow. so beautiful. ur daughter''s eyes are very pretty
cajetan. lot of depth and reality in ur
thoughts... wish every parent saw all these small and sweet things with so
much depth..... ppl can only ignore such things today due to lack of
time... :-))

rakhee sinha said...

12:00 AM | 29/Oct/06 | |

it is really beautiful

saloni jolly said...

1:32 PM | 28/Oct/06 | |

it was beautiful....simply beautiful!!

Aparna B said...

3:22 PM | 24/Oct/06 | |

hey cajetan, loved the honesty of it.
well put. children do teach u a lot.

dee vine said...

3:51 PM | 23/Oct/06 | |

very well written. very deeply thought.
i know wht you mean... kids are our mentors

Reema said...

1:36 PM | 20/Oct/06 | |

how sweet was tht...u r lucky enuf to
hav a princess and all the more reason to be proud of the small angel tht
teaches life''s nuances in so beautifully!!!

Poonam Chaudhari said...

12:27 PM | 19/Oct/06 | |

Only one word i say that
is..."WOW"Its really so beautiful poem....!I dont have words to
say anything...coz its really nice!

Jolly Jacob said...

7:43 AM | 19/Oct/06 | |

Awesome poem, looking forward for more.

Veena Jayaraman said...

11:57 AM | 18/Oct/06 | |

your daughter is an angel..........you
lucky you got her

Lakshmi said...

10:34 PM | 17/Oct/06 | |

just beautiful.... hats off to both
teacher and student...

victory goddess said...

4:56 PM | 17/Oct/06 | |

Read about your daughter, your
wonderful teacher. If only we learntfrom children, the world would be a
better place to live in.Give my love to your little teacher.

simran kumar said...

1:32 PM | 17/Oct/06 | |

its..really fabulous .how beautifully u
v woven those little observatios..n little xperiences into...this wonderful
poem..drawing inspiration...n life values frm the little angels sent to us
by god...which normally...in the rush...of r daily chores we tend to
ignore.......keep it up..wud love to hear more frm u........

simran kumar said...

1:32 PM | 17/Oct/06 |