Through my daughter's eyes.

Sierra is two years old. It has been a wild ride for my wife Anna and I ever since her arrival.

There are times I catch myself looking at Sierra, wondering what the world holds for her. I look at the setting she has grown up in and I feel I recognise so little of it from my childhood. She had learnt to speak when she was one (I’m told that its normal. Since when? I’m quite sure when I was one, I had the vocabulary of a potato).

Sierra makes observations from throughout the day and often gives us a commentary (not repetition) later. She tries to process the information to make conclusions of right or wrong. Of course she does not have a deep understanding of these complex concepts but she takes bearing from the boundaries we set her. 

Her personality has also set in – she has developed a mischievous vein, just like her mother, she also broods like me when she sits quietly to observe and process the happenings around her. She is also caring and loving, often displaying true concern when people around her are distressed – an unsolicited first-time “don’t worry Grandma, I help you” left us dumbfounded and grandma in stitches.

What does a two-year-old process? You may ask.

Sierra observes behavior displayed around her, either on TV or in real life and uses the information to plot a series of coordinated actions to achieve her intended result be it mischief, fun or to show concern.

I am convinced that Sierra will carry on doing and learning things at a pace much faster than my generation did.

I remember in my time we were made to stand up and count from one to ten in class. Most of us used to get it wrong. Let’s not even talk about the alphabets. Sierra is doing twenty now and has no problem with her alphabets – maybe some work on annunciation. She has five years till the time comes where she’ll be asked to stand up and say these things in class – I’m sure she’ll nail it by then.

I used to worry when I felt that she would not have my childhood. I used to play in the monsoon drains behind my house, climb the neighbor’s mango trees to steal fruits and foster friendships at the playground that I’d remember for life.

I also remember dreaming there were better toys to play with like radio controlled full-function robots and helicopters.

Today Sierra plays with my Robosapien, which is a full-functioned remote controlled robot and pico-Z remote controlled helicopter. I don’t feel so bad about her childhood anymore, I’ve come to realise that it is just different – too much has changed. She is living her life at a point that is beyond the threshold of my childhood experience.

She will push the limits of curfews Anna and I set for her by doing other things, find new forms of mischief to get punished for and foster life-long friendships over the internet.

It excites me to think about the potential the world will hold for her when she steps out of my house on her own will. Where will she go? What will she want to do?

The parameters are changing and changing fast! My worry for her now, is the pace of us, as today’s guardians in providing an environment that is safe and conducive her pursuit of a better future.