This is our sleeping 10 yo angel, Indrani. She is such a beautiful girl inside and out. She’s always trying to help me with blogs for my weekly newsletter. Today she sent me this blog post – 5 Things Mum Should Have Tattooed on her.
You might thing what a strange thing for her to write about. As a bit of context, we have discussions about tattoos frequently in our house. Neither Israel or I have one, however, Israel’s 4 siblings do. Our kids adore their aunties and uncles, and they are so much cooler than mum and dad! Ever since Indrani has been about 5, she has spoken about getting a tattoo. Now Rilien, almost 6, draws them over his body too.
I’m 47 and when I grew up, getting our ears pierced a second time was the fashionable thing to do. I realise tattoos are todays fashion but on the same token, I don’t want the kids to just rush in and get a tattoo. So, our discussions go something like this:
It’s totally ok if you want to get a tattoo when you’re older but you need to be really sure about what it is you want. They are usually permanent so you can’t easily change them if you change your mind. Think of it like this, if we let you get one when you were 5, your tattoo would have been Dora, then at 6, it would have been Princess Ariel, then 7 Harry Potter, then 8 Justin Bieber and One Direction. This last one now causes Indrani to cringe.
We say, a tattoo is like your very own personal brand. It’s your very own personal mark you keep on your body for the rest of your life. You either keep it private or share it with the world depending on where you put it. Take your time and choose wisely.
Anyways, Indrani has taken this discussion about it being a personal mark you’d be happy to have for the rest of your life, and turned this into a blog about what I would be able to live with tattooed on my body. When she sent it to me today, I cried such tears of happiness. It’s just so beautiful. So here it is – you’ll see she is quite a funny girl, and words could never express just how much I love her.
5 Things Mum Should Have Tattooed On Her
Hello there,
It’s Indrani! Prepare yourself, because the life the party’s back in the house! So as Mum’s newsletter is approaching, I thought I’d write another blog post for her. I’ve been meaning to do it for a while now, maybe two months or so. Let the games (games? or is it blog? dunno) begin!
1. I love what I do
Seriously. Every. Single. Week. Mum gets an email that makes her do a *happy dance* ‘ I love what I do!’ etc, etc and you know, I can practically predict when she’s going to say it and, oh yes, I can recite it! Every time. It does not make me roll my eyes (fake smile)! PS: Did I mention I’m a teensy bit sarcastic?
2. When you have real food in the house, you can ALWAYS make something healthy
Whenever we’ve been teetering on the edge of literally nothing in pantry or fridge, Mum ALWAYS comes up with something. And for that, I am grateful because I’m ALWAYS hungry. For realz. But, unfortunately her saying this gets quite boringly repetitive after a while (am I too deadpan?).
3. Eat your greens! – How do greens help your body?
We have greens or green smoothies every single day, usually in the morning. If we don’t want to eat them, Mum always says eat your greens and follows it up by asking how they help our body. And guess what? Greens ARE good for you! Surprising? They are, but hey, who wants to choke down avocado-and-celery-and-who-cares-ew green smoothies at sparrows’ fart in the morning?!
4. Have I told you how much I love you today?
These next two are the tattoos I like. Mum asks me this every day, and I’m not sure if I’d feel as comfy knowing that I’m loved if she didn’t. Mum always manages to say something new every day. For example: ‘Did you see how the sky/sea seemed to stretch on forever? Well I love you infinity times more than that!’ or simply ‘ I love you to the moon and back 100 times’
5. XO
I love this. Almost ever single text mum sends ends in xo (kiss cuddle), instead of LOL (back in the good ole days she thought it meant lots of love; but we all get confused, don’t we dear?) Mum is always there for a ‘Mummy’ hug or a kiss or both, and she is basically the best mum in the world. She always picks you up, ready to save the world for you or (I quote) ready to jump in front of a truck for her true loves. This would be the best tattoo ever for her, I think.
I love you Mum, xo
Flo
My Reply
Oh my beautiful girl, you make my heart burst with so much love and pride. You are sensitive, smart and sassy. All fantastic qualities – don’t change. I love you know I feel so strongly about each of these 5 things, that you see them as my personal brand. What makes me the most happy is knowing you understand
I love you forever, I like you for always, as long as I am living, my baby you will be.*
(*taken from one of our favourite bedtime books I Love You Forever by Robert Munsch)