Trayi Birthday : Annual Writeup 2017

Every year, I have made it a tradition to write about my daughter on her birthday. These posts capture for me, our daughter, at a moment in time. And over the years, they have helped me trace the trajectory of her growth, preserved in a few words. I go back and read these posts occasionally and I marvel at how quickly Trayi has grown, how much she has changed. She turns 12 this year, but the year has gone by much too quickly. My daughter is my buddy now, the reason for my smile when I return home everyday. We tease, we laugh, we fight over silly things. The tables have turned and instead of she clinging to me, I cling on to her, beg her for her company, a favour she occasionally obliges me with. She still retains her sensitive core, but has a self protective edge now. She has started to notice the world too, more keenly, wanting to educate herself about current affairs, and learning to form her opinion and voice it too. She is of a firm mind , our not so little girl- not easily swayed or influenced. Unabashedly nerdy, she has become more focussed and willing to work hard, both at her studies and her hobbies. She enjoys her own company more and more, happy to be with her book, or a laptop. Happy to just be. She has had this comfort in her skin for a few years now, a sense of self-containment, which gives her remarkable confidence and resilience- a trait I can only envy. 
I am a proud parent I know, but on this day each year, I truly feel grateful and often humbled by the remarkable fortune we have had, Ajit and I, to be parents, friends, confidantes, to our child-woman. Happy Birthday for tomorrow, darling.