It's all about the family

Being a “family” person myself, I think that it’s important for my daughter to develop an attachment to her cousins as well. I have the fondest memories of going back home to Pakistan for the summer and doing all kinds of crazy things with the other kids in my family. Things like stealing “amrood” from our Thaya’s house, buying “gola ganda” from the “thela wala’s” that roam the streets and eating an obscene amount of “mithai” while all the adults in the house were napping in the afternoon. Memories that will last me a lifetime and always make me smile whenever I think of our “good old days” back home.

So back to the point… During my quick visit to Pakiland last week, I saw Iman in a whole new light, discovering a whole new meaning to family. While I was there, I spent most of my time at my sister’s house and Iman got to spend time with HER cousins. This was different than our past visits, because now she’s able to understand and express herself. She ran around the house with both of them, hiding and looking for each other. They snacked from the same plate and best of all, they rolled around on the floor in giggle fits for no reason.

I don’t know if this was my imagination, but she seemed more comfortable with them than she has ever seemed around other children. I know she won’t remember this visit, but I know that I always will. This was the first time she bonded with family, and the first of many times that she laughed whole heartedly making memories for a lifetime.