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December 10, 2007

Doo!

Ashu is becoming a handful these days. Out of the blue, she has got this habit of saying "Doo!" and getting cross at me or her dad. "Doo" (Katti in Hindi I guess) means "Im cross at you and am not going to talk to you" among kids. I accept I made the mistake of saying Doo to her whenever she was behaving badly. But little did I know that this will come back to haunt me. Its Doo for every little thing these days. She gets up in the morning and says Doo to me. "Doo Amma, Po(Go) Amma" are the first words coming out out of her mouth everyday. How much ever I want to ignore her, its getting really annoying. And one cant reason with her when shes in this Doo mode. "Why do you say Doo to Amma, Ashu? What did Amma do?" is asnwered with "Doo amma. Dont talk Amma" with an additional "Bad boy Amma!" (Yes! People are either bad boys or good girls in her dictionary. No good boys or bad girls. Atta girl!) And she always sides up with Hd when shes in doo with me and comes to me when shes in doo with him.

After a while, she ll forget about the whole thing. Only to start all over again. If shes playing with the blocks and the blocks keep falling down, its Doo amma. If shes feeding her doll and the doll is nt opening its mouth(!), its Doo amma. If shes hungry, its Doo amma. After a meal, its Doo amma. Im going crazy with all the Doos. Shes so unpredictable and theres no pacifying her. When shes in this mood, she might transfer her Doo but wont quit. For example, she ll be in doo with me and playing with her dad happily. Then if I say, "Bath time Ashu. Come on now!", she ll immediately say "Doo Appa. Nee bad boy. I dont want Appa" and come running to me. But if I had said "Lunch time", it ll be "Doo Amma. Dont talk amma." What in the name of DOO is happening to this child?


I swear Im not exaggerating and this stuff happens around 25 times every single day. Shes at the peak when she gets up from her afternoon nap. Shes in an absolute fowl mood and it takes me an hour to bring her back from this Exorcist mode. Its exasperating to say the least. I tried to ignore her but she does nt like that either. TV works but I don't switch it on unless its TV time. Same goes for the meal. She wont agree to eat if its not her meal time. Reading a book works occasionally. Playing with her works like a charm but then I don't always have the free time to drop everything and go play with her. During such times, she does nt want me to do anything in the kitchen or read a book or watch TV or talk on the phone or with the laptop. She snatches the book, closes the laptop, switches off the TV, grabs the phone or rolls on the kitchen floor generally getting in my way. I am *this* close to tearing my hair out trying to find out why she is behaving this way. Someone help me please. At least tell me something remotely weird like this happen with your toddler too. Otherwise, I'm going to say "Doo" to you all and go Sanyasam.

And please tell me this. Do you want to mess with this face?

38 comments:

Anitha(nikki's mom) said...

LOL. Had a hearty laugh. Ashu is not even 3, she is already making you want sanyasam - ha ha ha. No experience with this kind of stuff yet. Will eatch out the space for comments from the stalwarts. Cannot stop laughing yet.

Anonymous said...

She is such a darling. How can you say such things? I demand that you take this picture away. You did some photoshop trick, didn't you?

Shobana said...

No. You don't want to mess with that face or the person. It sounds like she is getting on your nerves with this behavior. Maybe with time, she'll get over it...other than this, I don't have an answer. **HUGS**

Anonymous said...

Hey Boo..Please don't take Sanyasam and stop blogging, I am having Mad Momma withdrawl issues after she went private, don't know how to contact her.

My two cents...ignore her during those times, when she wakes up from her nap, keep her favorite snack ready, keep it next her and move away, don't speak to her, just sit and close your eyes, Once she realises that she is not get any response from you or Hd. She will stop.
My toddler used to do the same, ignoring him really helped.

AI

Mona said...

this must be tough on you, but it sounds hilarious! :)
hang in there, babe. and no, i wouldn't want to mess with THAT. no way.

Minka said...

oh ! poor boo. But I can totally identify with what you are going through. But I'd say ignoring this behaviour will probably make it go away . Let her not sense it's driving you nuts . If she's asking for attention , give it to her momentarily and ask for some time to finish whatever you're doing or better yet, let her help you in the kitchen ( help of course is a euphemism ).

Anonymous said...

Lol at the picture, I wouldn't mess with that person :) You sure its the same kid from the previous post? I am sure she will get over it once she has driven you crazy and then there will be something else. Fun and joy

Parul said...

Hi Boo,

I know I shouldn't but lol..oh my gawd, this is so funny!! And that picture - I laughed so much! I guess I will only repent when Adi reaches the terrible twos :)

Hang in there, girl!

Aryan-Arjun said...

Oh boo..don't say doo..
She is so cute.
But I understand your feelings. My cousin's kid when she was 3-4 was the same..ditto..Somehow this behaviour vanished after sometime. We used to put the Tele tubbies and that helped little..little is the right word..
Have to overcome...
Aryan's Mom

Anonymous said...

You're going to have to change the blog to "doo's baby talk" now.

T

Anonymous said...

i am having terrible two time too! no doo here - just screaming and shrieking and yelling and beating and biting and pinching and need i go on. i have the patience of a - well whatever it is that has no patience at all - and so i am also doing all those things! (the screaming, shrieking, yelling, beating, biting, pinching etc! don't know if it helps the situation - but it gives me some instant relief! (sort of like yelling during labour - deep breathing did'nt help so i screamed and yelled at the top of my voice and that gave me some instant relief even if it did'nt help the pain!) (oh my - now i know why i have a screaming shouting baby! i am like that too!)
d

Tharini said...

OMG! What a picture!! Was she in her DOO mood when u clicked this? Was this right after her afternoon nap? Terribly terribly cute. I wudn't mess with her if I were you! :)

It all sounds like a cute but exasperating phase to me. One fine it, *poof* and it might be a thing of the past! Don't take her too seriously on this. Just brush it off and deal with it with humour! Shouldn't be too hard for you, funny boo! DOO! :))

Anusha said...

Oh! Now I understand :) and ROFL at Exorcist! that pic sure looks like it!
it is the annoy-your-mom phase. it starts now and I hear it never ends. my only solution for this is grin and bear. or hug/tickle/distract with an unrelated story. works for me half the time. for the other half, I use ear plugs ;)

Anonymous said...

What a DOOlightful post. That pic is mighty cute. Was she in her DOO mood when that pic was taken?Romba cute. Oh yes, this phase sounds a bit exasperating, but I guess she will ( or is it you?) get over it. Would a direct talk like tellin her that amma doesnt like all this and stop it for every little thing help? Ignore her for a while and she should come back to you.

Anonymous said...

Or you could immediately start of an imaginary story like..

Ashu theriyuma, annikku namma aathukku pheonix paravai vanthuthu..or some kathai of that sorts. I think it will go a great amount in diverting little Ashus attention.

Anonymous said...

i go thru the samething with my kid she is 3. after the nap,
i make sure i sit down with her and do some project she love to hear "PROJECT" like other said tickle, change the subject, make it fun.

Aqua said...

LOL! cute story. btw here after a long time and i LOVED yr blog header. it's a lovely pic of yr lil one. must have been taken by a professional photographer right?

Unknown said...

oh she looks absolutely adorable in this snap..wud i want to mess with her tho? Maybe not..!
LMAO on the whole exorcist part :)

Daisy said...

LOL!! talking back and attitude already huh? The pic is hilarious( sorry- dont kill me )

Rohini said...

It is actually quite funny but I am sure I wouldn't say that if it were happening to me. Ayaan too is grumpy when he wakes up and admonishes me with a 'Mama, no talking' till his mood improves, if that makes you feel any better...

Poppins said...

The post was ROFL and lookit the comments. I LOLed big time at D's comments. I am in the same mould as her, when Poppin throws a tantrum I throw one too :)

Well, I won't say that you should not have taught her the Doo word :)

The picture is awesome!

Vidooshak said...

The pic does seem like a Photoshopped evil work! How can Ashu ever look like that?

Then again, my kid is just 4 (MONTHS) and can not talk or turn or even understand (or so we believe). Yet, he is able to pull a "Doo!" on us merely by crying or refusing to smile. Even though he is non-verbal, it felt as if Ashu was behaving like Cubby!

I am spooked at imagining Cubby aged 4 YEARS now...

Hilarious post, as usual.

DDmom said...

I have to agree with lot of commentors - you did the photoshop trick, didn't you?
LOL on bad boys or good girls.. You just need to ignore it, the more importance you give to it, the more kick she'll get out of it.

Anonymous said...

Actually, it is quite amazing, that she is giving you a glimpse into her state of mind when using the Doo. Looks like she enjoys bathing, doesnt like her lunch etc. Wow, more power to Ashu to help you understand her !!

Anonymous said...

Wow that was fantastic writing again. Prax asked me to read this one and I read it in one flow with an astounded look on my face. I am inexperienced, cant say anything other than observe. Please write on how you got over it !!! :)
Whose hint helped etc ...

I have seen my niece giving my anni a terrible time, but my nephew turned out to be an "ammaa admirer," and she finally feels it wasnt her fault at all!

I have this theory that children make life the most difficult for their moms (and I have seen it becomes crazy when the MIL takes advantage of it!).

In between I was also thinking that there are many "doo Misters" even at career paths, they become cross for no reason at all or rather for no reason we could de-construct! Ignoring works great with adults. I think its all some complicated attention demanding pattern.

The real problem is I dont remember when all I have been in this doo mood, to decipher reasons from my own self!!! :) ...

B o o said...

Anitha - I ll wait for my turn to LOL! ;)

Yaada - Yeah right! As if I have to photoshop to make the devil look like a devil! (please dont tell dad I said that!)

Shobana - Im also hoping that and waiting for that time to come!

AI - try themadmomma.com!! :) And Im ignoring all I can but she wants me to ignore her on "her" terms! How about that? ;)

Mona - Glad the photo proved my point! :)

Minka - Trying one method at a time. Hope something works.

WA - Fun and joy indeed! I cant wait for the next phase! Oh goody! Grr....

Parul - I hope Adi does nt reach this phase in his Twos. You ll thank me!

Aryan - I will go into Doo mode if I put on Teletubbies. I hate them with a vengeance and made sure Ashu does nt know the very existence of them! (no offence to the TT fans!)

T - LOL. It would nt be baby talk at all any more! Sigh!

B o o said...

D - You know I tried "Doo"ing her in turn. But that only made it worse. Trust me, you dont want to look at the photo!! ;)

Tharini - I can take her anger. But anger without any reason is what bugs me! Tell me why you are cross at me, for Gods sake! I know this is all poorva jenma paavam! ;)

Kodis mom - LOL. Sure distraction works sometimes. But the nosy me wants to find the root cause of this behaviour which apparently I cant because theres no such thing when it comes to kids!

Shubha - LOL at the Phoniy paravai story. Appuram enna aachu? Please tell.

Anon - Project, huh? Thats a great idea. Will try it today. Yes, I know the Doo routine by heart now! ;)

Aqua - NOOOOOOOO! The blog header came with the template. Thats not Ashu! The hair looks the same though, right? I wish it were Ashu!

RV - No one in their right mind would want to mess with her. I should practice the look and use it on Hd sometime! ;)

Daisy - Laugh. Laugh. Like I said, it will be my turn one day!

Ro - What in the world make these kids so grumpy after the nap? If anyone should get grmpy, it should be us!

Poppins - Right. I find the comment section more interesting than the post! At least I taught her Doo and not "fart" like Hd did!

Vidooshak - Is there a Ashu club I dont know of? Read my reply to yaada yaads comment! ;)

DDmom - What trick? Thats all original. Next time, I ll send you a video!!

TAA Mommy - Thaty exactly what I want to know. Whats going on in that little mind of hers? I cant stand mystery!

Madura - So true. Especially girls give their moms so much trouble. Ask me. I am a pro at making my mom miserable. Im terrified how this is all going to come a full circle! Sigh!

Anonymous said...

BOO, I mentioned phoenix paravai just as an example..like I have noticed my neighbour diverting her son's attention by making all kinds of imaginary ( and instant) stories.I have seen that the kid becomes more interested in listening to the exaggerated, non true, fictional story than continue to be in the DOO mood.

Daisy said...

hehehe..
yeah yeah i know it will be- its all karma..

Seriuosly though, reading all you mommy bloggers, I wanna have a kids too ;)..

But you promise one thing- you cant take a break like Poppins mom did till Ashu has her kid ( long term security you see)- ok?? coz I cant handle it!

Manchus said...

That is really funny and I can totally understand how frustrating it might be for you.

Here Rhea is not even 2, I can already see the tantrums and we both are like Tom and Jerry now.

She will wake up with 'No Mommy' my 'Topet'(which is actually blanket and Towel).

I really dread next year when I have two to deal with.

Yashodhara said...

Booooo...

That really was hilarious. I am sorry, you sound really frustrated - can't help you out because my baby is only 4 months old...

Major flash-forward happening for me, though, now...loved that picture!

Ha ha ha ha...

krishna said...

Hi boo,

I like reading your blogs and envy the time you make for it, being in IT I kinda have very little time,I have a son whos a year and 4 months now and its a experience to watch him grow. Keep blogging.

K 3 said...

LOL. Laughs aside, I think you are lucky to face this only at 2 - my son is already showing signs of disapprovals at 17 months!!! Ah! the joys of parenting!!!

BTW, great blog. Keep it up!

Sue said...

No, I would never mess with that face. I would let her go run the world and go catch some sleep. Just in case you think I'm being hypothetical, I did do that to The Bhablet. When I came out, my kitchen shelves were wrecked, the living room was a mess and the bedroom had been hit by a tornado.

Ok, that doesn't sound like a solution any more... but I did get some sleep!

Neera said...

Hey Boo ..my first time here. Our kids are pretty close in age ..Vansh, my son is Mar'05 born and Ashu's Apr right? I searched some posts of urs to see where she is, because this sounds so much like my son. For the time I was reading this post, I really thought I was reading abt him and a milder form at that!! Well everybody has already provided all the great ideas - recalling facts abt things that he enjoyed doing, friends that he enjoyed playing with helps. Mom exaggerating how much fun she's having reading a favorite book of his helps too. If nothing does, I just ignore him and let the 'exorcism' take place on its own. And wonder when does this really end or does it?

B o o said...

Shubha - apparently, I did nt convey the message properly in my comment to you. I got that. Just that it was funny you said "Phoenix paravai"! :)

Daisy - WHAT? You have learnt nothing from us mommy blogs? If you want a kid, take one of ours! Strictly no return policy though! ;)

Manchus - Good luck is all I can say! ;)

Y - Enjoy this time my dear because time flies by! *evil laughter*

Krishna - I will. You keep reading! :)

Thanks K3. Kids do start young these days, huh? ;)

Sue - Hey, I did that once too. It sure helps. Thanks for the reminder. :)

Neera - Welcome. Relief reading your comment. Nothing like a good company in misery! ;)

Usha said...

My god, what did you do to annoy her so much? That is really cute.
As for doo, I have no clue how you can make her forget it. May be interest her in another word that stands for something else. Like "statue" or something?

Artnavy said...

hahaha- wicked amma- she is going to say Dooo agian when she realises u have put this pic up for the world to see

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