Parenting

Parenting is a bloody tough business. I used to think that not letting the Joker play, was difficult. I also used to think that building an operating system from source was bloody hard--- exhilirating, thrilling and filled with adrenaline as you could feel the power of everything coming into focus, under your command, the greatest thing in the world. i imagine, formula one car drivers feel the same way--- when a synergy of man and machine become the epitome of perfection. Having turned in my "Evil Overlord" credentials, busy people unload their stuff on your lap and so a moment of quiet coffee at the local cafe turned into a babysitting ordeal, simply because one is "free". Somehow i missed the point where a life of quiet leisure became a stigma. what the heck, the things you do for blood!

So for today, Jacel, a four year old little girl--- my niece flew under my batwing. we were batman and robin, sans the pointy ears, cloaks and utility belts. my niece to her mother and grandmother's credit is a well behaved and smart creature. so off we went to the nearest mall. Though i would have wanted to go to Mall of Asia, as some suggested, the batcomputer in my cave was running all sorts of things--- building stuff with the coolest toy to date--- parallels. after all, just because we turned in our "Evil Overlord" active member card and swapped it for reserve membership, doesn't mean we have to be "entirely" unproductive!

walking around was quite easy. having never looked after someone so little and 23 years my junior was entirely a new experience. i mean, how can ensuring radioactive material arrives in good working condition to the nearest specialty hospital help in times like this? or for that matter, building the perfect batarang be of help? CPU speeds, RAM, hard drives--- these are things men such as myself understand. what little girls do, four year old little girls do for that matter is like living from a different galactic dimension. so off we went to the video store, looking for something to watch. there was nada mind you. i kept glancing at the video where people shoot 'em up. Little miss Jacel was browsing at "Toy Story 2". And while we never did settle for a video, we walked towards a bookstore. She ran at all the pretty children's books and toys. she handed me a toy--- something to do with hair from reading the package. in my mind, how should i know what this is? and she kept asking me what was it for. "we'll ask your mother," I said.

so we left the store, me basically afraid of whatelse this little robin might ask. i decided we should have lunch. Pizza was out of the question. she eats pizza of course, but not her favorite meal in the world and probably not one her mom might approve of. and i can't very well finish eight slices of pizza all by myself! so, what do little girls eat? this one was a no brainer of course. all i had to do was think of what i used to eat myself: fast food.

little robin likes chicken. now, i'm partial to double cheeze burgers myself--- yet i doubt that little girls would. so i picked fillet chicken for her and i got chicken nuggets. i figured, if she didn't like the chicken, we could always swap. and of course some french fries, her absolute favorite.

having sat down, i opened her stuff. i know she could eat by herself, her mother and grandmother are excellent teachers in that department. all i needed to do was slice her chicken, pour some gravvy and all done. and so for a few minutes she did. and i slowly ate my chicken, dipping into some source. occassionally glancing at my young charge, she began to slow down in her consumption and slowly kept twisting and glancing about. we were in trouble. i started feeding her myself. slicing chicken to smaller bits and dipping in more sauce and a little rice. and we were munching along. every other second, i would quickly take a bite off my nuggets. the little robin then said that the chicken was slightly spicy. i tasted it--- it wasn't. still being a kind former evil overlord, i offered her a taste of my chicken nuggets. it was a good though on my part mind you. i'm not that insane not to think children aren't easily satisfied. after telling her it wasn't spicy and offering the nuggets, she wanted to keep her chicken and i asked her to drink her soda.

then came more signs of unrest. the continous glances at the other kids playing for instance tipped me off. and she was eating more slowly by the minute. we need a little incentive! so i told her if she finishes her rice, we will buy ice cream. and the little rascal's eyes lit up. what kid could possibly ignore ice cream? and we were back on track, munching along. last bite, well she did have a few more spool full of rice left but after finishing her chicken, i guess it was all right. having consumed my own food, which by the way took way longer than i usually do, we cleaned up and walked out of fast food and towards an ice cream stand, a promise is a promise after all.

not a moment too soon, my mother phoned me saying she was nearby already! i was saved! i mean--- we were saved! it was getting to be boring just walking around, i didn't even know how to keep a conversation with a kid. what cartoons were they watching on tv these days anyway? she of course doesn't respond to batman and robin or superfriends of justice league. whats a poor uncle to do?

we met my mother outside another fast food place inside the mall. so my mother, after a bit of begging took custody of her granddaughter and they ate at the said fast food place. the little rascal was muching along her hot french fries and i escaped to walked the halls of the temple of shopaholics in peace but not too long. after having consumed in peace a frozen cup of coffee, i set out to find my mother and niece. they were at the supermarket. my mother's sister, called her up saying she was also nearby.

while my mother met up with my aunt, the little rascal and myself slowly walked to the parking lot. "slow" isn't exactly the way to describe it. she was jumping and running and dancing along the way. what did my mother feed the little robin?! so while we waited for her grandparents by a Benq showroom, she was dancing and running and jumping along. too bad there was a pretty young woman in the area browsing at some stuff, obviously also waiting for someone.

anyway, my mother and aunt arrived and so we started to make our way to the parking lot a top. and so my day as a babysitter was over. between battling the joker, building a custom os from source and 4 year old little girl, which is easier? adorable creatures children are, one can understand the difficulty of being a parent. I have never been more thankful for grandparents.