Perpetual Summer Camp

During weekends, summer or festival holidays, parents are usually faced with a tough choice - what are they going to do with the children on their hands. (Note: Give them up for adoption is not a socially acceptable choice, though sanity rules otherwise) Our situation is a little different. In a moment of weakness and utter foolishness, we were heard telling the 6-year-old in the next block, "Come home anytime you want." The word spread thick and fast among children and relieved parents alike. So it is, that on Sunday morning, 8 am the doorbell rings,

"Hi, Ram, (athithi devo bhava) how are you, how nice to see you early (have you come to take our children out to play), why don't you sit down."

Over time, that is, in the space of about 7 minutes - there is a small gathering at our house. The eldest is about twelve years old, the average age about six-and-a-half. Mentally waving goodbye to 1. peaceful breakfast, 2. peaceful lunch, 3. peaceful siesta, 4. peaceful dinner, 5. peaceful sunday, 6. peace in general - we watch the proceedings from far. It is too much to try and join them, we would like to remain in one piece (for a wonderful monday at thank-god-office)
"Uncle", said age 7, "can you help me move this sofa." We don't bother explaining that furniture is not to be moved about, stood on, eaten upon. Sometimes it's just simpler and safer to move it. Sometimes it is better to just move ourselves to a neighbour's house. We tried once, but after taking one look at the contingent that was likely to follow us, they went out - for the whole day and night, just to be on the safe side.

Age 4 is notorious for his ability to fall. It really worries us, because we managed to save the music system, television and the washing machine, but he managed to immobilize the desktop the last time he visited. His mother was most sympathetic to us. "Adi" she said, "Don't fall on anything valuable or breakable, fall little away from that." She is a right-thinking woman.

"Auntie" said age 4, "I am taking 2 more chocolates after the juice". Nobody can say that they don't make themselves at home. The only surprise was that he actually informed me this time.
Soon they adjourned to one of the bedrooms, and at one point, they played this very entertaining (no comments) game, that involved one of them getting under a sheet, and trying to scare all the others. This game played with much abandon, and raucous (i know what it means, believe me) laughter finally ended when one of them broke a tooth, another had a nasty bump and a third tore her favourite frock.
We requested them to go home (drove them out of the house) and finish their homework (chew their parents' heads for a while). Meanwhile, we sat down to what seemed like half a minute, before our home-grown brat pack started - "I am going to shoot you... yaaa" (battlecry). If only...

Thank god for mondays...