My dad hugged me close,
I nestled into his neck.
He carried me to the cradle,
The pride in his eyes now on my brother.
The doorbell rang,
Bringing in the guests.
All were carrying colourful gifts.
They were all for my brother.
I cried for attention.
“Behave, “said by grandmother.
“Don’t,” “No,” and “Careful,” followed me around,
As I came anywhere near my brother.
I fussed for food, for sleep.
I shouted more, listened less.
“Don’t know what’s her problem,”
sighed my mother as she cradled my brother.
Image credit: https://pixabay.com/vectors/easter-chick-cute-yellow-chick-6122842/
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Growing with Nemit.
This won the first place for BTB April Month’s prompt on a visitor changing the course of the character’s life.
38 comments
In those 16 lines, you poured out the angst and pain of being a girl child in Indian society. The prompt was so wonderfully conceptualized and executed, that it deserved to be the topper.Great work Chandrika!
Thank you Preeti for your kind words
I guess, it’s tue a new baby does disrupt the elder one’s life. And your poem depicts that disruption pretty well.
Thank you so much
Sibling rivalry wonderfully portrayed!
thank you so much
Well, I don’t have any brothers, but I have two sisters, and my parents are fond of them. I guess being an elder sometimes means understanding to give and sacrifice our portion of love too. Maybe it’s a new baby, and that’s why everyone was happy, and they were happy when the girl was born too.
Yes, it takes time for the elder child to accept and fall in love with the younger siblings. But then the feeling of being left out happens often too
Most kids feel neglected when a sibling comes into the family. You have portrayed it so well in minimal words. I am glad i didnt have this issue with my kids but I have seen many kids feeling left out. Parents should see to it that both kids are given equal attention and the boy, girl difference should not matter any more.
Yes. you are absolutely right. But invariably the little one be it a girl or a boy makes the elder sibling feel quite left out unless adults have more empathy.
This reminds me of my niece – she’s 2 and just received her own baby brother! However, i love the double meaning of this. Yes, it could be because a new baby needs attention but also in a country like ours, many times girls are neglected for boys. Well done on enhancing what could seem very simple at first glance through nuances
Well, I don’t have any brothers; I have two sisters. Being a middle child sometimes means learning to give more to the older ones and sacrificing some of our share of love for the younger ones. This is such a touching piece. You’ve captured the emotions of feeling overshadowed and seeking attention so beautifully. Indeed, this piece was a win.
I meant as just siblings but I do understand the reader’s perspective too. Interesting how people take any given piece of writing.
Well, I don’t have any brothers; I have two sisters. Being a middle child sometimes means learning to give more to the older ones and sacrificing some of our share of love for the younger ones. This is such a touching piece. You’ve captured the emotions of feeling overshadowed and seeking attention so beautifully. Indeed, this piece was a win.
Thank you so much Anjali. I am the last among three sisters.
“I fussed for food, for sleep.
I shouted more, listened less.
“Don’t know what’s her problem,”
Meaningful demonstration of words that explains how certain characters develop in girls due to the kind of attention they get.
Thank you so much for the read. Yes, we do change because of situations.
Why is the world such! We feel this disparity exists only in Indian society but it’s not true. Even in the western world, I have seen incidents where the boy child is cared for more than the girl child. I recently watched this TV show and in that there was a scene where the mother would feed her son eggs and meat and give the daughter just boiled beans. And the daughter would never say anything. Even when she herself would get something nice for herself with her own money, the mother would take it in the context of sharing the food and end up giving the major portion to the son. And her excuse, daughters are more understanding and adjusting. No, we deserve equal love and equal treatmenr! Being a girl myself and having faced similar instances, I felt so much pain!
Thank you so much for your comments. Truth be told, I wrote as just a sibling rivalry and it was interesting to see readers reflect on what it meant to them. Yes, it is indeed sad when children face the disparity. Thankfully I didn’t. But then we are three daughters:)
How beautifully you’ve captured the feelings of toddler being left out after the arrival of a new baby
I can feel the poem. The elder child often gets neglected when a newborn is welcomed to home. And, if the newborn is a boy and the elder one is a girl, she will be neglected more in our Indian society. It’s the sad reality of our lives, not a fantasy.
I can feel the pain but never experienced it in practical life as we were two sisters and I being the younger one I got the attention of my mom more because I was super naughty and my didi my father’s attention for being obedient. I always wished for a daughter but had a son ….. But what you shared is 200% the reality even of todays world. Till date I find daughters are neglected and efforts are made to marry them off as early as possible as Paraya Dhan…. why is this happening even today…..I really wonder and feel equally pained. You are a strong woman and no one can overshadow you. A beautifully penned emotional and realistic poem.
It is important for the parents to keep the balance when the second child is born. The older one might feel neglected since the younger one needs more attention. I was lucky with my kids. My son used to dote on his sister when she was born and still does.
This little poem is so impactful Chandrika that it may take lines upon lines for me to say just how much it hit me in the right places. The message you wanted to convey comes out so stark in the subtly of the words. Absolutely loved it! and it is so deserving of the 1st prize… Congratulations and hope u keep crafting such masterpieces!
Thank you so much Kaveri.
That was a lovely piece of musing. As a younger child we are definitely pampered with materialistic things but I do believe that the elder child is always looked upto as the more sensible one, while the younger is always looking for that approval from other.
That was a beautiful observation Caroline.
Heartbreaking but true. This is a reality for so many families. Particularly where the son is the second born. Not in a position to advise but parents need to strike a balance.
Thank you. I guess any sibling brings forth a kind of feeling left out. More so if the family prefers boys.
In a nutshell, the true story of the elder child, especially, if it’s a girl child. It is sad but truly what happens in households everywhere, everyday.
That’s a heart touching poem. I can’t exactly relate to this because I am a single child. Although I am a mom of two and should be mindful of this.
Very nice poem. I can picture this entire experience vividly within the way you wrote it.
Very nice poem. I can picture this entire experience vividly with the way you wrote it.
It’s beautiful but am not sure if this has to be gender-specific. With a second child the elder one feels neglected and may feel abandoned at times. Parents have a hard time unless they include the elder one in the process. Been there.
Ooh how do I express the emotions that stirred in me. This is the ‘attention deficit’ people talk about in older kids.
That is a beautiful and cute poem and also projects the journey of girl child in Indian society. Great read.
Congratulations on winning the BTB prompt! It is indeed a powerful message put very succinctly in poetic form.
Thank you for the read and comments