The Balloon Woman

Simple Pleasures of Life

   As a child, I loved to play with balloons, the attractive colours, the fact that it could rise in the air and float for a while before falling down, the shapes and sizes it would be available in and the ones which were blown on parties and weddings, all, so fascinated me. I felt elated playing with one. Owning a balloon to yourself at a party was pride and happiness for a child, in our times. 

   As I grew up and got swankier games to play with, I had forgotten the humble balloon and what it could teach a child, and how it can keep a child entertained for a good deal of time, until a few weeks ago when I saw the happiness on my child’s face when she got a balloon to play with. After a hard day’s work, I retired to take a walk in my society, as a woman passed by with a bunch of balloons, each tied to a stick, and each had some grains of fine sand put inside before being blown up. That caused a light rattling sound when the balloon was shaken. The woman came towards us and offered the balloon to my 20 month-old, who was too shy to take it, ultimately the woman gave the balloon to me and walked down the lane. 

My daughter soon got attracted to the new object in my hand and grabbed it. Thereafter I saw all the other children of the society, running, playing, and cycling with various coloured balloons fitted on sticks. Yes, you are correct, the woman had passed by offering a balloon to each child she had met. At first, I tried to shake the balloon and explain to my daughter how to play with it. Soon, she did it all by herself, and with little guidance did many more activities using the balloon which I realised is such learning for her. Within a few minutes, she was joined by a little older boy, and they played a balloon fight which was visibly entertaining both of them. Yes, socialising has been one thing that is missing in our COVID-stuck lives. We took the little one home that day with the balloon dingle-dangle in her hands. 

Learning & Fun are Inexpensive

I had learnt that educational toys do not always teach you everything. These little things in life, are what we also played and learnt with, in our times. Nowadays, as parents, we spend a lot on expensive toys, tablets, gadgets to entertain and make our children learn new things. We also mistake, that fancy and fashionable toys will bring greater joy and learning for our kids. I am not propagating against grand, flashy toys, which do keep children occupied. I want to reinforce the idea that learning is an experience and that can happen through modest toys also. Children are the clay, they are impressionable minds and they learn through any new object which gives them joy. 

And fun and joy are do not come with a price-tag😊