Pleasures of Life – Part 1



Kids and Childhood

It always gives us pleasure when we see a small kid and more when the kid is laughing or smiling. The innocence and warmth that the kids have in their face can match nothing in this world. They bring joy to everyone surrounding them, be it parents, siblings, neighbors etc. Even to the most stressed out person, seeing a smiling kid changes his/her mood completely.

I look forward to going to office in the morning especially because of two kids. The stop where I wait for company bus, there is a school bus also which comes to pick up few kids. These two girls (one is around 5 years and another 7 years) always come and stand with a big smile in their faces. The younger girl comes with her mother and stands quietly near her mother. The moment the little girl sees the elder girl coming in bike sitting behind her father, her face completely changes. She becomes excited. Today when the elder girl wanted to drink water, the younger girl also wanted to copy her and started asking for water form her mother. The small things they do and talks that they have in the morning while waiting for bus is really amusing and brings smile in our face automatically. I completely get charged up and start looking forward to my day! J

Unfortunately the so-called competition for kids nowadays takes away that charm of childhood in kids. From 1st standard itself they are pushed into doing well in everything from academics to sports to any other extra curricular activities. They are supposed to know everything that LKG and UKG students know to join preschool. I wonder why then they should go to school! And this trend continues for whole life. Nowadays kids don’t even get time to play in evening, even if for 5 minutes. Even if the student is not able to cope up with something, parents and teacher push them to extremes. Not all kids are alike and not all can excel in everything. But unfortunately none of the parents are ready to accept this and want their kid to be in top of everything and they forget what the kid wants to do. This reminds me of a story I read in “chandamama” long back.

Every one knows Akbar-Birbal. Akbar always liked to test his ministers especially Birbal. The story goes like this - Akbar was very fond of his child and told birbal that his son was the most beautiful child in the world. Birbal disagreed with him. Getting angry, he announced in his court that he’ll reward the minister who brings the most beautiful child to the court, indirectly challenging birbal. While all the ministers started praising the prince and claiming that he was the most beautiful child, Birbal alone left in search of some other child. He came after sometime and told that he had found the most beautiful child in the world but to see the child Akbar has to come with him. Everyone were astonished as to how birbal could get another child when prince was there and that too not bring the child to court but instead asking the king himself to come with him! Akbar was very curious to know who the child was. So he agreed to go with birbal. Birbal took Akbar and all ministers to a slum and there was a child playing in dirty wanted with no clothes, looking very dirty and crying non-stop. Showing the child birbal said this is the most beautiful child in the world.

Akbar got very angry and started questioning Birbal on how he could compare such an ugly child with his prince. That time the child’s mother came running and picked up the child and started pacifying the child. Then she turned towards Akbar and Birbal (she didn’t know who they were) and told how they could say their child was ugly. He was the most beautiful child and that he is a gem and took away her child.

Then Birbal told Akbar that for all the parents their own child would be the most beautiful child in the world and no one can compare children.

This is so true even today but unfortunately we have forgotten that. Even when a child is not able to perform, instead of encouraging the child or trying to see what the child is good at, parents want them to do everything because other kids are doing it. In this process the kids lose their childhood all the innocence and charm.

As we grow up in our lives and get into the vicious circle of job, family, and friends in our lives, there are times when we feel we could become kids once again and enjoy life without anything to worry about. :) But then that kid life should not be hat kids nowadays face!! :)

Kids, be it our own or anyone’s bring those small joys to our world. Those small pleasures of life that we get when we are with them are the moments we always cherish and which we should never forget! :)

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