Almost throughout my entire pregnancy period, my husband regularly pampered me with late night foods and movies. Even though I looked like a Penguin with extra poky nose and walked like a Cow, we would never miss out any spontaneous Date nights. Mostly our date nights would start with a call, “Get ready in 2 hours, I’ll be there.” and even after all these years and now with a kid to take care of, this hasn’t changed a bit. So, I prefer to call him Smart Dad.

Movie time was the only thing which we agreed to without a reasonable argument and that’s because both of us have an immensely similar taste in action and adventurous movies. My pregnancy movie craving ranged from Fast and Furious to Olympus has fallen and off course, The Jurassic World and so on. I remember how we used to laugh our heads off, when with each breath-taking action, our son in the womb, reversed the kicks into my spine. I even went into the extent of thinking to wonder what if he is the next iconic star in making and how years later, we would gush over this. Well to all the to-be momma’s out there, I am sorry to say even a kick of 2 seconds would send you off dreaming about his adult days…

I think our obsession to the big screen and the genre was imbibing into our child drop by drop. Ever since my son popped out of me 4 years back, we noticed that he started developing an intense interest in Dinosaurs. How and when it kicked on him and us, we aren’t sure of. But for the last two and a half years its going very strong. His admirations for them are so sincere and perpetual that even the anatomy and fossils of these giant creatures amaze him. Being a 28-year-old and watching Jurassic park is an old age thing but there is nothing being as young as 2.5-year-old and watching the entire movie series on repeat with so much quest and admiration and is indeed a thing.

Gradually, our essential purchases were taken over by all sorts of dinosaur merchandise. T-rex t-shirts, raptor toys, and stuffed brachiosaurus which my son lovingly named it Paddy and would carry him to bed every night before sleep. Though some sheepishly say: “it’s just a childhood phase and he will forget it soon.”

Maybe he would not turn up a paleontologist in his future, maybe by next year he wont even remember Paddy, his bed mate, but I wonder what kind of phase lasts for over 3 years? For that matter I won’t say it’s a phase instead it’s a “healthy obsession” as experts’ term it.

His healthy obsession soon made us spend some decent amount of money on almost anything which could have some kind of dinosaur face on it. His pyjamas had dinosaurs, his blanket had dinosaurs, his favourite tv show is “Andy’s dinosaur adventure” , he has a massive collection of these giant reptiles in all shapes and sizes, his pool toys are dinos, his favourite pen from the Universal Studios, has a dino head on it, and somehow , the toy box never seems to get the lids closed because every time I clean up his play area, either the head or a pointing tail sticks out of the box.

The reason we call it his healthy obsession is because, this particular area of his interest makes him in power. From that moment he is teaching me about them. I am learning something which I have never known before. He can recite the proper names with proper pronunciation of at least 15–20 dinosaurs, even faster than he could recite his ABC’s, wherein I could hardly name 4–5. And, unlike we adults , kids can teach you the right from the wrong without blowing their heads off each and every time with utmost patience possible.

If you have a similar child in your house, you may understand that it is not just about liking them. Because, surprisingly, they can distinguish their herbivorous and carnivorous prehistoric pals. They are paying attention and they are getting fascinated by these enormous giants who once ruled the earth.

I know he is getting older day by day, and so are his play interests, because our schools teach them to crave career and there is plenty in there to make his attention split, leaving no space for creative specialization. Not, just about dinosaurs, be it any other area which makes your child feel in power or knowledgeable should be recognised, praised and loved by us. one way you can do this is to learn with them constantly because they teach you big lessons of life, not knowing the gravity an average adult may perceive.

Maybe, my son won’t even have a slightest memory of his crazy toddlerhood, yet I am sure, his prehistoric playmates will forever rule his heart.

Yes!! The Triceratops and the Indoraptors still roam in my living room………!!! It isn’t a bad idea after all, if they remain squeezy toys throughout ….