Grow up, dads

Just look at the two pictures closely..the ice-cream popsicle’s life outside the freezer starts in the kid’s hand and ends in his dad’s.And this happens inevitably each time dad buys an ice-cream or a chocolate bar for the son…soon as the younger one starts digging his teeth in the sweetness, the older one keeps an expectant eye on it, just waiting for the junior to say -I’m full,I don’t want more, so he can jump in and get the catch.And unfortunately that doesn’t happen, then the big one uses his grown-up health and dental awareness to impress on the little one how detrimental sweets are for the teeth and how germs can crawl upto his teeth and dig big cavities in them and then the dentist will have to pull them out and it will be extremely painful.This enormous health knowledge lies dormant when I ask him to get the kiddo ready for bed,to get him to brush his teeth in the night.That time its – He’s too tired, ek din se kya farak padta hai.But dare he eat the whole ice-cream,its dangerous for his teeth!!Strange how knowledge surfaces at the opportune moments.
Another sane reason is that the junior is not so fast in licking it and the ice-cream was melting away on his clothes, making them dirty,the stains could be permanent you never know what color they use these days in food items, so I just helped in clearing away the loose melting part, leaving the other intact.And believe me, a couple of those big tongue lashes sweeps away at least half of the treat.So much for protecting the clothes and saving water and detergent.
And it is also for a very important issue, to inculcate a virtue-to teach the child to share, not to be selfish!!What better time to teach him that great value and then take the candy stick and make a big dent in it; commencing the onset of-‘Mummy, daddy has taken a big bite like a monster’.How I wish, they could each buy one and be satisfied with it, the family budget will not dwindle with one extra chocolate bar.But I guess dad wants to assert his dad-ness to us and to himself that he is buying kiddie stuff for the kid,that he is grown up.Or to portray his magnanimity and selflessness.
And this is not just the case with my family-once with family friends who have a son about the same age-both the kids were enjoying their strawberry ice-cream popsicles under the dads’ continously coveting gaze,when all of a sudden both of them decided to trash it, just for fun-in a split second, the ice-creams were garbage.The dads’ expressions changed – was it anger for the waste of money and display of irresponsibility;but it was more than that-the guys were shattered,heart-broken,crestfallen and synchronously muttered- Nahin khani thi to mujhe de deta.