MORE THAN JUST GRADES...

We all consider the childhood years as wonder years but are they really wonderful for our children? In this fiercely competitive world, the young ones get a taste of competition may be at age of two or three in their own drawing room with cousins or siblings of their age. It is not uncommon to see parents urging their child to recite a poem or dance or sing a filmy song in social gathering. What about the little girl who doesn’t want to sing and hides behind her mom? She is labeled shy whereas another outgoing kid who regales everyone with her poems and cute baby chatters gets the claps, competition begins from here.

As a child grows up we in our quest to prepare him for the competitive world ferry him from one skill-oriented class to another so that he is not left behind. The intentions are sound but what about the child? Some children handle it all but some kids don’t and these kids are not willing to accept or share their feelings with grownups. That is where I think the problem lies and that is where communication and interpersonal relations come into play.

We as parents don’t invest too much time and effort in these areas and in the child’s teenage years we are at a loss of words, action and connection with a child. The child rebels, becomes aggressive and we conveniently term it ‘generation gap’ whereas it is ‘communication gap’.

As teenage years are stressful where peer pressure, disappointments and temptations reign supreme and we guardians and well wishers can severely mar the child’s personality with our expectations and ambitions.

During the kids’ growing up years we lay a lot of emphasis on good academics as we feel that is the passport to a good career which ensures a good and comfortable life. As a parent we enjoy basking in the reflected glory of their achievements but do we give as much importance to the development of their interpersonal skills and communication?

Are we patient, understanding, generous, cheerful enough with them to let them acquire these qualities? I certainly hope so. Though we cannot turn back the clock, we can certainly make amends. It’s never too late to start…..

About the Author:

The Author is Ms. Rashmi Banerjee, PRT English, Meenakshi Public School

www.meenakshipublicschool.com