We expect them to meet our requirements and fulfill our dreams; but we forget that children have dreams of their own. The result being headlines like this- Student suicides: The silent epidemic claims 150 in 2017-18[TOI: Mar 12, 2018]. Should we hold ourselves responsible for their irrational behaviour or should we pass the buck on the more generic terms such as peer pressure?
Can you say you are truly happy? There is nothing in your life you don’t want to change, even if it’s just a wee bit- a bigger house, higher income, more fame or power. The non- acceptance of our present self or the desire to be someone else, to get something else propels us to get into the rat race and most of the time we land up dragging our children into it too.
Teaching our children to focus on marks, only to gain admissions in the desired institutes does nothing better than satisfy our egoist need to boast before friends and colleagues of goals reached and targets achieved. To quote Einstein, “An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future.”
If we really want our children to stand the test of time, we have to lead them to look within for solutions. For this to happen we must first shift our focus from the outside world to the inner world. We must accept our self for what we are rather than what we want to be. No matter what roles we play in the lives of children around us, as responsible members of the society, we must be aware of our own self and stop hiding behind the facades we put up to shield ourselves from the world. Awareness brings acceptance. With acceptance, no failure can harm or no pressure can destroy a precious life.
Instead of taking obstacles out of our children’s way, let’s help them see every obstacle as an opportunity to grow. Let’s keep in mind that the 21stcentury offices require not those who in the name of learning catalogue objects but those who not only think critically but also communicate effectively as problem solvers in this global village.
JBCN International School Borivali
Urvashi Sen - Faculty- Economics
