Mums the wor(l)d

Gabdu has started for some strange reason calling her Nani Mumma, Mummy and all the other variations of Mum occasionally. Ok .. not a strange reason but pbbly because I call Nani "Mummy" and so she has made the association. I am amazed that I actually felt jealous that she was doing this or may be jealous is the wrong word - shud I say possessive of my title of mummy ! Its just a name and shud not matter and yet somewhere deep down I wished she wud not do that ;-). I kept correcting and telling her that she is Nani ...;-) .The title is just a very tiny bit of the experience of motherhood and yet I feel the word wraps around it a zillion emotions and so I cling on to it possessively demanding that it be only my right to be called so .. Wonder how our moms feel when we start calling our MILs by that name ...and yet they tell us to address them that way ...In fact I cannot forget how difficult it was for me to call my MIL mummy .. I felt strange and felt robbed of my mother ..I cud not bring myself to call her mummy.. Even now though its been 5 years .. I still find it difficult to call my MIL mummy when my moms around because to me my mothers just one ! Hmmm .. wonder how I will handle gabdu calling her MIL mummy years later ...

I dunno if I am being stupid and over sensitive but I really kinda like the indispensability of me being mommy ..which I know is not fair to her yet I love it when I am the one who gets showered with kisses and hugs rather than say pappa. I am the one she comes to when she is sleepy, cranky and basically in need of anything. Thats a unique status. Of course this comes with its own negatives - expect to be required merely in the background when she is busy playing with her thatha, patti, nanu, nani,atthai etc but dare you move away from the room - u get caught and have a toddler crying as if you have beaten her up, your entry into the house is often met with crying rather than the happy reception accorded to papa ... Those are the times you sometimes wish you cud loan that title out to someone -or may be not ;-)