Lakshmi Iyer's Blog, page 38

Mommy Tax

Laddu is on the kitchen island, her legs dangling off the edge. Large sunglasses cover more than half her face. I am feeling reflective and in the mood for conversation. “What is your destiny?” I ask as a follow-up to our discussion on the show Ever After High. She blinks. I go back to the […]

Crossing Cultures

“How do you open this thing?” Laddu’s cry is plaintive as she wrestles with a miniature Hawkins pressure cooker. I show her how to open and close the cooker. Ammu pipes up “Did you have one growing up?” “Never!” I say. My ferocity surprises me though it shouldn’t. I try to explain to her how […]

Pity Party For One

I am peeling potatoes by the sink, the window practically pointless because of how dark it is outside. The red peels fall in an intricate pattern, followed by the ends of the green beans and the orange carrot peels. I box up the cut vegetables and clear the sink. I look around the kitchen and […]

A Big Girl

I circle the school parking lot a couple of times before resigning and finding a spot in the grass farthest from the entrance. I grab the folder containing documents that I need, close the door and help Laddu from the car. She is bundled up, her hood covering most of her face. Her tiny hands […]

Spaces

I walk around my home, my iWatch tracking my steps, urging me to walk 11 minutes more at a brisk pace so my move goal could be met. I walk, my arms swinging, my eyes tracking my children as each play in their own way. Laddu is astride her soft, stuffed unicorn, urging it to […]

Love, The Cheesy Commercial Version

I roam the aisles of Target as I wait for prescriptions to be filled. Laddu’s hand is in mine. She stops every now and then, pointing, asking, demanding. We meander to the back of the store where hearts are hung from the ceiling and the predominant color is red. I look through the mostly empty […]

Amplifying A Voice I Admire

Please take 10 minutes of your time to listen to Samira Ahmed, author of an upcoming young adult novel Internment. Not only is this book needed, but it is also essential for our children to walk with their eyes open.

Non Anniversaries

Saathi’s voice modulates up and down to match Laddu’s enthusiasm at the little table by the kitchen island. Laddu is on her tiny pink chair. Her toy from the dollar store named Gem is cooking on the molded one-piece kitchenette propped against a stack of books on the table. Saathi is next to her, his […]

Deep Winter

Coiled. Tight. Uneasy. That is how I feel most evenings. A deep-seated unease has taken hold. A discontent that I cannot seem to find the source for. I parse my everyday. I run through the hours trying to figure the catalyst, the instigator, the root of this feeling and I draw a blank each time. […]

Big Little Things

The clock is yet to strike 8:00 am. The twins and Saathi have left for school and work. Laddu is still at the island dipping her coin dosais in a mix of thayir and chutney and savoring each morsel. I make my round picking up coffee mugs, discarded plates, and crumbs on the floor. A […]