Mom, how old is the moon?

Mom of two adorable boys, I’ve abbreviated their names since childhood to first alphabets… so there’s a P and there’s a Y, his elder sibling, teenagers with completely different temperaments, opposing food choices, all making my life a roller coaster of joy!

An inquisitive teenager, P has grown a head taller than me in this past year and affectionately hovers around taking care of my health whenever their father is out of town. On the other hand, his elder and calmer sibling Y ensures that I don’t get anxious over P’s antics!

Tonight after dinner, younger one accompanied me outdoors to watch the night sky. It was a relaxed moment as we watched the calmly floating sea while the breeze ruffled around us making the heatwave of the day slowly ebb away.

As we mom son duo gazed skywards towards the incoming flights, our eyes were mesmerised by a beautiful pink moon pretty low in the night sky. It appeared so near that if we raised our arms towards the moon, we just might have touched it !

The moon caught in a silver web

P, the inquisitive one, looked down at me and said, “Mom how old is the moon?”

Though we’ve all grown up listening to timeless tales of the serene and comforting Moon, it never crossed my mind to check its real age. “Umm, wait.. let me ask google!” And within seconds we were enlightened. “It’s a beautiful 16 day old Moon that’s shining pink with bliss! See, that’s a rejuvenation happening right there in the sky,” chirped my mom logic !

“Since it’s only three days past it’s perigee, the point of being closest to earth, it appears like a Big Ball ready to play with. Also due to its proximity to the horizon, it appears moss pink. This phenomenon is largely due to scattering of blue, green & purples leaving the red & yellow to combine effects and appear as a pink ball in the night sky… and so on,” Ahha !!! Thanks to google, we studied even in moonlight 🙂

“This is interesting Mom.. see it says here that the April moon is also referred to as the Fish Moon by coastal cultures, the Egg Moon, and the Sprouting Grass Moon. It is also known as the Passover Moon or Pesach…. Wow that’s some information coming from the search engines!” My younger one quipped.

That was interesting science at play. And then just as a spark ignites another thought, my brain worked its magic and out poured the words. “Hey P, what if the moon is looking pink because it is blushing ?”

Grinning widely, P quipped, “Yup. Just like when Pa praises you when you dress up in a traditional sari and you blush!”

The boys are noticing affection. Wonder how much more time before they start forming their own bonds that last through a lifetime of in sickness & in good health!

Till then they’ll always be my younglings!

Guess it’s hard initially for every mom to accept that kids are growing up and welcome their independence from the parent. They may not run up to you to shout out the days’ happenings or they may not snuggle around for a bedtime chat any more. Their friends become more aware than you about daily happenings. And what not.. but what the heck.

You’ve given them the horizon to spread their wings.

Like younglings of the nested birds, they will always love you no matter how far they fly.

And just like the silver moon shining bright in the dark sky, you will continue to guide their path whenever they look up to you !

So enjoy watching the moon rise in the sky while the stars shine bright in the their eyes! Have a lovely weekend ahead.