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From Frozen to Harry Potter



You know you're a good mom when you unconsciously yawn in the earworm(y) "aa-aa-aa-aa" of Ahtohallan. If you don't know what I'm talking about you're either (a) not a parent, or (b) a liar. (Btw, lucky you if you really don't know what I'm talking about.)

When at age 2 Yukta saw Frozen for the first time and was awestruck with the whole concept of magic and princesses, I knew we had only just embarked on our downward journey of the rabbit hole. I knew this day would come, but I didn't know it would come so soon. Over the last 2 years I must have watched Frozen and Frozen 2 at least 50 times (combined, thankfully!), and listened to the songs in both the movies innumerable times. 

I have it extra special - Yukta listens to the songs in Mandarin too in addition to English. We've been in Singapore for a little over a year now and she's been learning Mandarin at school. She's actually pretty good at it and her teacher says she is at par with the native speakers. As much as I'm thrilled with her polyglot skills, it annoys the crap out of me to have to listen to the Frozen songs twice as many times!

In her defence, Yukta was not biased towards English or Mandarin, she was just biased towards Frozen and Elsa. I say this because she used to enjoy listening to the songs in ANY language that our poor Google Home could play them in!

When the COVID-19 lockdown started, for my own sanity I decided to move the Google Home to her room, and braced myself for a Frozen year. For the first few weeks, I let her torment us with repeat viewings of the movies as well as Opera style singing of the songs. Then an idea started brewing in my mind.

I am a Potterhead; nobody else in my family is. I have cousins who like the books and movies but not to the extent that they'd know what the Hogwarts motto in Latin is. (It is "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus" btw - which means "never tickle a sleeping dragon".) From the time I knew I was going to be a mother, I'd made up my mind to introduce my child to the world of Harry Potter at the earliest possible. 

COVID-19 presented us with a situation where we realized that tomorrow will always be an uncertain, unknown, and that all we have is today. So I thought to myself - why not try reading the Harry Potter first book to Yukta? No harm can come out of it - she'll either enjoy the activity or discard it.
And thus began an attempt.

I was prepared for a few hours of reading and explaining followed by a tantrum to stop. Little did I know that I was in for a surprise. She was hooked! 
A few chapters into the first book and she was sitting with rapt attention and asking very relevant questions, and was refusing to let me take water or bathroom breaks!
(To my credit - I am a dramatic reader. I have done a bit of voice over work on radio and have also been a radio jockey. It could potentially be my backup profession if I ever lose my job!)

When after a week of intense Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone reading we finally completed the book, it was time to watch the movie. We decided we'd do it the coming weekend. 
D day morning arrived and I was doing some chores. Yukta was entertaining herself with the Google Home and landed on the Frozen songs. I rolled my eyes thinking "not this again!" when to my surprise she started saying, "Hey Google, skip" repeatedly to skip all the Frozen songs. She noticed my presence in the room and said, "I'm being nice to you so that I can watch Harry Potter today."

My lower jaw dropped, but that is secondary. Mission accomplished. Elsa is out; Harry Potter is in.

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