THE PHOTO ALBUM

 THE PHOTO ALBUM 

Ravi and Puja’s grandmother lived in Pelling. She was a retired teacher. The children used to visit her every winter vacation. One of the best things about grandmother was that you could talk to her about everything. Grandmother’s hobby was collecting old photographs. She had many albums with photographs of the family and friends from her childhood days. Her favourite photographs were those of her grandchildren.

She had pasted the photographs carefully, with notes at the side of each. It was the story of her life. During their holidays, the grandchildren loved looking through the photographs. Grandmother made all the photographs come to life by telling the stories behind all the photographs.

One sunny winter morning, Ravi asked her, ‘Grandma, who is this boy? He looks almost like me.’

Grandmother: Don’t you recognize him? It is your father when he was in school!

Puja: Is this Papa?

Grandmother: Yes, Ravi looks exactly like him at that age.

Puja: Does this mean Ravi will look like Papa when he grows old?

Grandmother: He probably will.

Puja: Will Ravi have a moustache?

Grandmother: Of course he will.

Ravi: When grandma?

Grandmother: Soon you will enter your teens. Your body will also start changing. Your voice will become deeper and hair will appear on your face. Both boys and girls begin to grow hair under their arms and in other parts of their body. This is one of the first signs of puberty.

Puja: What about me grandma?

Grandmother: Your body will also change when you enter your teenage years. Your chest and hips will grow larger. Your body will start the process of becoming an adult like your mother, teachers and me.

Ravi: I want a chest like Salman Khan.

Grandmother: Yes Ravi, your muscles will surely grow bigger. You must remember that these changes will not be same in all people. Some of your friends may grow faster, some more slowly. Don’t compare yourself with anyone. All the changes are good. You might not feel comfortable, but it will be okay later. You can always talk to your parents or me.

Puja: My friends told me that we will have our monthly cycle. Is it true grandma?

Grandmother: Yes it is. The monthly cycle or menstruation is commonly called periods. It is your body preparing you for your role as a mother in the future. It is very natural. Puja, don’t worry too much about it. When it happens, you must tell your mother. She will teach you how to maintain cleanliness and hygiene. It is important to bath every day.

Puja: Will it be painful grandma?

Grandmother: Sometimes, your stomach and back might hurt. You might also experience mood swings. One moment you will feel happy and for no reason, the other moment you might feel sad.

Ravi: In school. We learnt how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly! Will we also change like that?

Grandmother: Yes. You will. For all these changes, your body will release chemicals called hormones. This brings about the mood swings and other changes.

Puja: Like what, grandma?

Grandmother: Well, your skin might become oily. This can lead to pimples.

Ravi: That’s terrible. Nima didi has a lot of pimples.

Grandmother: Yes. But there are medicines available for this. And as before, cleanliness is key. You must wash your face regularly. The body’s oil glands are becoming active, too. This means that the skin on your face, chest and back may become oily. You will begin to perspire more because your sweat glands are more active. A lot of children notice a new smell under their arms and bodies when they enter puberty. That smell is body odour. The combination of extra oil and sweat can make you smell if you don’t keep your body clean.

Ravi: Is that why people use deodorant?

Grandmother: Yes. Keeping clean can stop you from smelling. You should bathe every day, either in the morning before school or the night before going to bed.

Puja: What else grandma?

Grandmother: You might also be confused about a lot of other things, like your appearance, feelings and emotions. You will want to experiment with new hair styles, try new clothes. Parents and teachers might not like this. You might also be attracted to your friends of the opposite sex.

Puja: You mean I might be attracted to a boy?

Grandmother: Yes. You must remember that such feelings are normal. However, it is better to have lots of friends both boys and girls, than to have an intimate friend of the opposite sex. Your friends might tease you and say some boy or girl likes you. You must not be carried away. You must study and take part in sports and other activities in school. You must also eat healthy food.

Ravi: I hope I am in the football team this year.

Grandmother: I am sure you will. Playing sports and doing well in school will make you feel good about yourself. It will make you confident.

 Puja: I will go for karate classes and also join the ECO Club.

Grandmother: Yes, that’s good. In this way you will also make new friends. In a few years, your friends will seem more important to you than your parents, family or teachers. You might feel that your parents are wrong and that your friends are right. You might not even want to come to see me!

Ravi: We will always come to see you, Grandma.

 Grandmother: I hope so. You will also be more curious. You might want to try out new things. It’s very important that you have good friends.

Ravi: I saw a senior in school smoking ………….

Grandmother: Part of getting older is being able to do more things. You want to try new things. You feel like experimenting. That senior you saw smoking was trying to act like an adult. He might have been curious. However, it is wrong and dangerous to smoke or to take drugs. Don’t do things just because your friends tell you to do so.

Puja: He must have thought he looked good.

Grandmother: During the teenage years, what others think of you will matter a lot. Don’t do things just because it might make you look good in front of your friends. If you are confused, you can confide in your parents, elders in the family and your teacher. Help is also available at the ARSH (Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health) clinics in all the hospitals and primary health centres. They are also called Yuva Clinics. And I am always there you can call me whenever you want. Now let’s get ready for lunch.

Source: OUR WAY TO ENGLISH (Class six)

English Textbook.

For Solved Exercises of this lesson, click on the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTgYmbQGweWg7n1IMh3PCA/join