Virtues and Vices of being middle class!

When I was in 1st standard, every single friend of mine had a pet name. Vinod was called “kuttu” at home, Jisha was “chootti”, Priyadarshini was “pachoo” and Harikrishnan was “hari”. When they asked me what I was called at home, I gingerly told “umm…swathi only”. And they asked “why don’t u have a pet name?” And I didn’t have an answer. I thought my parents didn’t like me that much, as my friends parents loved their kids, and ie why they called me “swathi” at home. That day I made such a fuss at home, to make them call me something “pet” instead of the same old “swathi”[O! God! How much I hated that name!!!]. But they didn’t budge at all! They told its only “swathi” and it will be only that way. I finally consoled myself that I have to accept the fact my parents never loved me as my friends parents did. That was such a big truth, for me, to accept at 7 yrs!!!   Another evidence for me that supported my theory of me having “non-loving” parents was that I was allowed to call my mom and dad ONLY “amma” and “achan” in Malayalam [our native tongue], while my friends parents were their “mommy” and “daddy”. It was the time, when we had this “gulf boom” [just like the IT/US boom, that we have today!] and all the NRI parents preferred to be called “mommy” and “daddy”. In fact “mommy” and “daddy” made them [and us] feel that there was an invisible class division between us!!! We were the old, ordinary “amma”, “achan” type, and they were high class!!! I made the second fuss at home [this time, it lasted for months!!!]. I tried calling my mom “mommy” but she never answered me. She was adamant that I MUST call her “amma”. Only then she would answer me or give me food. Finally I had to succumb to her decision, cos I needed my food more than she needed me! There ended another desperate effort of mine, to rise above the middle class!!!   After that I didn’t do many trials to rise above my middle class level. I was constantly reminded by my mom that we were middle class and our “wish-list” was limited. Even now, amma reminds me that!   But now I am thankful that I have only single identity and not any more funny pet-names. I am proud that I call my parents “amma” and “achan” instead of mom and dad. Also I should thank amma, for practising me to look at the price-tag first and do a very fast mental mathematics on that month’s finance, before buying anything! And my husband says that makes me the best home-minister of finance, though he sometimes call me “uncle Scrooge” !!