What Else?

My daughter was four when I taught her who is allowed to touch her and where.

I already monitor her necklines and hemlines for appropriate levels of modesty.

Never leave her alone in a room even with a close male relative or trusted friend

Inwardly fume when I see the neighbour’s child waiting alone for her school bus next to the security guard’s cabin and add a mental note on yet another ‘not to do’ for my child

Look at even a 7 year old boy with suspicion

Always hold her hand in public and never let her out of my sight - anywhere

Made a research on schools close enough to personally drop and pick up my daugher while still keeping in mind the minimal requirements of education

Even considered home-schooling and weighed security against social isolation in the overall scheme of things

Constantly wonder about her well-being when she is out of my sight and probably colouring butterflies in her drawing book

Thrown cold stares in the direction of waiters or random strangers who act friendly towards her

I have already traded in sanity for a venomous spider’s deathly wait to strike

Now what else can I give up so my child has a reasonable chance of enjoying her childhood and making it to adulthood unscathed?

Ganesha's Christmas Tree

One day Ganesha was playing in his house. When he got bored he asked his father, "can I go outside and play?" Shiva said, "no, stay inside!". Ganesha was disappointed but just then the door bell rang. Guess who was at the door? It was Santa Claus and he had brought along a huge Christmas tree for Ganesha! Ganesha happily set to work decorating his tree and he was happy. 

This story was made up by my daughter, then four years old. This was the innocent creative effort of a child being brought up in a multi-faith - or to be more precise, a faith-neutral - household by parents who tell her stories of all hues. She thinks of Jesus in more or less the same way she thinks of Cinderella's fairy god mother and Krishna - or Ganesha for that matter - is as dear to her as Ninja Hattori or Dora. She is not old enough or exposed to the world enough to know that she is blaspheming by putting Ganesha and Santa in the same story. Nor does she get that she has to choose one or the other for her salvation; choose her company or her life partner according to the Holy Book they swear by and view with suspicion anyone who does not subscribe to her own views on God and the afterlife. It pains me to think of the day she has to be told that her story might hurt someone's religious sentiments.