This post is dedicated to and inspired by my awesome winsome nephew Siddy who turned seven a couple of days back.
Imagine you spend the entire day making your child's birthday special. You eat the eternally forgettable cuisine at the nearest TGIF because that is where they want to go. You even play at a noisy video arcade for hours. Then you come home ready to end the day on a high note by cutting a deliscious home made chocolate cake. However that is not what happens. Your birthday boy has a melt down. Why, you ask, and all the child can say is " I don't want to celeberate alone! I was Sugar and Milsy!". Now, if Sugar and Milsy were some next gen Youtubers and the child wanted them to show up on demand you may feel like giving an earful to the kid, but what if Sugar and Milsy were in real life Sagar and Milind- two wonderful guys who as your friends have been a steady part of your child's life? What do you do then? I would say then it's a reason to celebrate.
Too many of us have come to accept loneliness. We do not have the courage to acnowledge it, leave alone do something about it. Making room for friends and family which can come with its own share of sacrifices and compromises, is no longer an option. So we just choose loneliness in the name of peace and me time.
In times like these if you have raised a child who values the presence of freinds and family and intuitively understand the importance of social connections, you are doing something right. Most medical journals have now unequivocally acknowledged that the single most important factor determining longevity and happiness is social connection.
Hurray to my baby Sid who is choosing to embarce this part of himself and hopefully he will have many wonderful Birthdays with Sugar and Milsy.
