A for Appreciation: For all things small or big; from the small insect crawling through to the dog lying on the road. From the on/off light switch to the continuous ringing of the doorbell. Suddenly, a million things get to be seen in new light.

B for Back-up Planning: Every single plan needs 3-5 back up plans. You can always assume she does not think much of our default plans. Or even the first few back-ups. So planning (or sometimes none at all) helps.

C for Clown-face: I love seeing her laugh. And nothing better than doing a clown-face from time to time. I just need to ensure that I don’t use it at work. (at least too much!)

D for Driving: Every night is a treat with her in the car; she loves to watch the buses go by; and do her mini-dance in the car to the tune of the radio. Driving in the crawling Bangalore traffic gets a new meaning.

E for Energy: The best exercise that I have had in the last many months is to run around behind her. Either to ensure she is up to no mischief. Or just to play ‘running and catching’. A ton of energy that was hidden inside has come to the fore.

F for Forgiveness: She (and you) make a lot of mistakes (just part of the game!). Forgiveness is at the core of any parent-child relationship I believe. She will be super cranky. And then suddenly smile and make all the irritation vanish in one puff of air. And your heart will melt to completely forgive the previous half-hour tantrum.

G for Giving: Not just giving what she asks for, but also ‘giving in’ sometimes to her demands! Or using that word ‘Give’ whenever she clings on to something. She will obediently give the object she has been clinging on to whomsoever we ask her to give to.

H for Hello: She loves saying ‘hello’ and giving a ‘high five’ to new people! So I am now forced to greet new people too. Which has certainly improved my overall social skills!

I for Imagination: I have had to tell stories on the fly. Come up with crazy rhymes on the spot. From imagining (and explaining) a zillion things, to thinking about the exciting times ahead, the excitement for thinking into the unknown has certainly increased.

J for Jitters: Paranoia will strike you soon. From whether the switch box at home is child-proof to ensuring that every single bottle was sterilized to the last extent and every single food is taste-tested. It’s not a skill-set that you may want but nevertheless comes with the package.

K for Kneeling: If you have not played the role of the elephant or the lion with your little one riding you through the jungle, then you surely have not experienced what kneeling is. It is a slightly primitive form of exercise, agreed!

L for Love: Unconditional love. To my daughter. And to my wife for the effort that she puts into making her an adult.

M for Moment: I can vouch that ‘living in the moment’ is the biggest learning of parenting; there is no scope for distraction or doing ‘some other thing’ when we are with her. I throw away my phone and all other such distractions when I am with her because these moments don’t ever come back.

N for Network: You will build a social circle of parents with similar aged-kids; not just to check on which school to send your kid to or what tantrum to expect at 16 months or the odd motivational talk, the parents of people without kids can’t stand what they believe is ‘unnecessary, obsessive attention to her’ (we were in that boat too sometime back) and will have their own network!

O for Observation: When we are with her, we now observe everything she does. Because it’s a delight sometimes and a threat a few other times. A delight when hearing her say ‘amma, ma, ma…’ continuously. Or a threat when she aims the Fischer-Price toy at her mouth.

P for Patience: Self-explanatory! You just need tons of it. I now have tons more than I have ever had in my life!

Q for Questioning: She looks at me for any new word that she hears. Or any new thing that she sees. Cause she wants to know what it is. She will point to a million things. And I immediately need to answer. My own inquisitiveness for new things has hence increased — I am checking out what animal that is in the zoo or what bird just went past!

R for Research: The amount of time spent on Google and Babycenter is only second to the amount of time sitting with her; research techniques have now been mastered to the extent that we can arrive at a solution for any problem thrown at us.

S for Singing: Those vocal chords which were long rested have suddenly come back to life, thanks to the (hopefully passable) night lullabies that I sing for her.

T for Time Management: She does not have a schedule easily or usually! So you better have one, with enough buffer! It has certainly helped me maximize my output during working hours and spend enough quality time with her in the evenings.

And those are the top 20 I learned in the last 20 months. And the learning continues everyday! Maybe I will finish up the letters of the alphabet in the next 6 months and do a new journey after that!