Cheerful Monk has this funny cartoon up in her post. Please click on the image for a larger resolution.
This cartoon reminded me of two ancient stories which are family lore.
When our son Ranjan was an infant we would leave with him with his grand parents and go out for dinner or whatever. On return we would often find that his grand father would have laid him on his chest and while the former would be fast asleep, Ranjan would be wide awake and smiling at us. We would then gather that his grandfather would have sung Baba Baba black sheep while patting him on the back to put Ranjan to sleep, but would fall asleep himself before Ranjan would.
My late wife would sing a Hyderabadi lori (lullaby) in Hindi to try and put him to sleep.
सोजा राजा सोजा, लाल पलंग पे सोजा,
ऊपर पुनका चलता है नीचे बाबा सोता है.
The translated English version going like this:
Go to sleep Raja, go to sleep, On the red bed, go to sleep
The fan is running above, Baba is sleeping below.
After a few moments of this, the second line would become,
ऊपर बाबा सोता है, नीचे पंका चलता है,
Baba is sleeping above, The fan is running below.
And like at the grandparents’ place, the Baba would be wide awake and the mother would drop off to sleep.
Too funny! 😀
Thank you for the trigger Monk. When Manjiree read this she was so amused that she believes that the reason why Ranjan goes to sleep the last at home comes from those early days of adults falling asleep before he did!
Such fun memories! Since I had four children in less than five years, I didn’t lie down with each of them. We read every night and then off to bed (although the youngest often fell asleep nursing.)
Then when my grandchildren came along I was expected to lie down with all of them and so it became a matter of trying to stay awake long enough to not have a toddler crawling over me to freedom. Ah! Such precious times to sleep through…
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Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view, we had only one child and so far no grand children. Perhaps we were spared!
My daughter and grandkids here are on vampire time – up all night, sleep all day. Betweeh 1 and 2 AM they tend to congregate in the kitchen – which borders my room. Lullabyes are not included.
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I like the term Vampire time! Ranjan and Manjiree keep it.
I can’t remember my memories of “going to sleep” but I think I may have gone to sleep quickly – I had cumbersome day in my big boots (special for my rotten feet)…
I too have no memories of being put to sleep with lullabies. My parents or grandparents never told me any stories like these.