Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
What if schools and parents come together and help the child develop his innate skills? Every child will become a star then!
“Your son doesn’t even finish his homework on time”
I was startled by the comment given by my son’s teacher. I was sitting at a Parents Teachers Meeting in my 3 and half-year-old son’s nursery school. I knew teachers gave some work to be done at home which included tracing letters and writing numbers. I made sure he understood what counting meant and could recognize the letters.
He never made a fuss of homework. We used to do it together when he was comfortable and enthusiastic about it. I had already told this to the teachers but there I was, listening to that same comment again “ I know you are a working mother. But you need to take out time and make your son finish his homework. It will be required in bigger classes.”
I was already getting furious. “He will be big by that time” I almost screamed. “ He is just a small kid who doesn’t even understand what it means to get bad remarks.”
The meeting forced me to think whether I had made a mistake by putting him in playschool. The apartment where we stay doesn’t have many children of his age. I had an impression that if I send him to some playschool then he would mingle with kids of his own age. I never thought about the peer pressure this would bring.
When I looked around, I realized that we are putting our kids in a predefined box from a very early age. Competition and pressure is actually killing their innovativeness as well as curiosity. Every child is unique and intelligent. The question to ask ourselves is do we really provide them with a comfort zone where they could explore their inner qualities.
I know my son loves music. He can connect to words in songs much faster than knowing words through normal stories.
What if schools and parents come together and help the child develop his innate skills? Every child will become a star then.
Do we really think success is defined by getting money or corporate jobs? Is this also affecting our children right from the tender age where they need to explore the world with their inquisitive minds, unbeatable energy and innocence.
Being a working mother is a choice and not a need or superiority. I never understood how that can be equivalent to be an irresponsible mother. I still make sure I spend maximum quality time with my child and I am on my feet whenever he needs it.
I just want my son’s tiny hands to discover treasures from nature rather than holding a pencil and writing. I want his glittering eyes to experience the beauty of a night sky with many stars and weave stories around it, his ears to listen different types of music and enjoy dancing on his favourite beat. This alone can be his homework at least for few years.
Soon, the dangerous world outside will force its rules on him and he will have to follow path of no return. But these precious years will leave unforgettable memories in his life. It will shape him as a sensitive man and give him energy to think out of the box.
Bright future is not guaranteed by good marks, being at the top and entering in good institutes but by right attitude, perseverance, passion and hard work. It is immensely important that we parents understand it fast and imbibe the spirit of life on our children. We do not want to make them prepared only for only good-paying jobs, instead we need to make them prepared for the whole life, earning money will just be part of it.
“Teach my son to speak in front of the class. Ask him to describe a song you like. Teach him to care for his friends. Ask him to share his toys and not to be harsh with anyone. I am not justifying not doing homework. But I don’t want to judge him at this age. I don’t mind if I get remarks for not completing the homework. I will feel bad if he gets remarks about his bad behaviour and lack of confidence.” I told the teacher calmly.
I just realised I was being tagged as careless mother not only by teachers but also other parents who were waiting for a similar discussion. I came out of the school smiling. “Aai, what did teacher say?” my son was outside the school standing with his dad. “We both were discussing about the song you love and she was very proud of you.” My son smiled with confidence and started walking with me to explore new things that the day would offer!
read more...
This post has published with none or minimal editorial intervention. Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
Please enter your email address