We taught Kavi (age 14) how to blow up balloons yesterday, and she was helping with the party prep when her brother came down to remind us that someone needed to come put him to bed (he’s 11-almost-12, and still likes someone to lie down with him until he falls asleep most nights).
Inevitably, they started playing with the balloons, tossing them around the room, and I had a moment of wanting to say ‘don’t distract her, she’s got a job to finish and it’s late’ — and then my good parenting sense kicked in, and I just enjoyed it. Our children, playing happily with balloons, which is what balloons are for, after all.
I remember helping my dad (Navaratnasingam Mohanraj) the exact same way with setting up balloons and crepe paper in our basement for parties. I wonder if he felt the same kind of exasperated fondness when I started playing instead of working. 
Kavi and Anand are at this age now where they’re both big enough to be of real help with party prep. I realized this week that Anand is ALSO now taller than me. I am officially the shortest one in the family. You can start to see the grown-ups they’re going to be in not too long.
But they’re also still kids, and I’m becoming increasingly aware of how little time we have left to delight in that.
Let me remember to enjoy every minute, please.
