Summers are an interesting time for me.

I grew up with cousins around my age. We were brought up in similar circumstances. We were brought up by parents who had similar values and had similar means. We made life's decisions around the same time. Our paths diverged when I was diagnosed with kidney disease. They went on to get married and have kids, their lives being completely engulfed in the routine chores of looking after their families. The males among them made careers, the females were mostly home makers.

Summers are interesting because the cousins typically come to Hyderabad to meet their parents. They bring their kids along. I find it really intriguing to see how these kids are brought up in the age of the internet and Facebook.

I cannot help sniggering to myself when I see my cousins scolding their kids for craving colas and junk food. To me, it was just a few years back when we ourselves craved these unhealthy options. Oh, I say to myself, how the times have changed!

I have seen this happening all around me. Most of my friends are married and have kids. They all try to bring up their kids the 'right' way. Eat the right things. Study. Don't play too much. It just seems a little weird to me that our parents were saying this to us not so long ago. At least it seems not so long ago. :-)

The innocence of childhood is lost in stages. When you get married, you lose about a quarter of it. There is still three-quarters left and there is still some hope left. When you become a parent, that is it. You're done for good. You lose pretty much all of it. You don't find silly things funny. You get irritated when your kids do things even though you did them yourself.

Growing up is highly over-rated. People give and expect too much respect. Life becomes too formal, too suffocating. People are constantly on the watch. "What would the world think about me if I did this?" I generally detest Navjyot Singh Sidhu, the irritating ass who's always on a laughathon and is always hyperactive. But he did say something once that makes a lot of sense, "Duniya mein sabse bada rog, mere baare mein kya sochte hain log?!"

 Of course, there are exceptions. But the vast majority of the people are too busy trying to become successful. We need to let loose for a bit every now and then; be a child again. Life would be much more refreshing that way.