G.L Khajuria
How many of us oftenly accept our attachment in real sense of term in so for as love affection and fantasies of our kids and children are concerned. Well, the children mean much more than what we think of them. They are not only our children merely by giving birth to them but in broader spectrum they are the fountain head of the nation. They are the light and hope of the nation for the future. Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Dr. A.P.J Kalam were most affectionate towards children. It has rightly been quoted, child is a father of the nation. Today’s children are tomorrow’s scientists, Scholars, Educationist and ofcourse plentitude of Doctors, Engineers and bureaucrats apart from distinguished luminaries, cine stars and record breaking sports stalwarts.
They are the best guardian of Borders who play with their lives defending the nation. Children are the future of the nation in more than many ways. They are the blooming flowers of dawn and seedlings of the Nurseries which make the surrounds vibrant and slabrous when nurtured and nourished.
Children are of utmostly warranting care of molding the first step to success in life’s run -race. Any right or wrong step can make them heaven or hell apart landing into the Sea of troubles. It, therefore, becomes our boundan duty to boost their upbringings with rightful and dedicated devotional perspectives. If the natural and social cohesiveness between the father and the mother is carefully maintained, the children by all means are sure to succeed but if the same delicate fabric is distorted, there is every apprehension of their being carried away on wrong track.
It is no denying the fact that the parents do their utmost and sacrifice their everything for their children. Right from the time a child is born, the conscientious young parents see to it that their child has everything as for example Education, Clothings, Toys and whatever is available within their best possible reach. They leave no stone unturned for their child’s upbringing and fulfilling his every demand and desire.
However, many strings are attached to their children by the over ambitious parents who expect the child as miniature adult, a master of all trades they also expect them to excel in every field whether in studies or sports, reading, writing, oratory so to say on all aspects of life and aspire them second to none. And there lies their happiness and all hope.
In such pursuits, the children are deprived of their fundamental rights of being child. The kaleidoscopic magic of childhood, the charms of wandering through delightful avenues are get lost. Apart from all these, the rainbow- coloured fantasies vanish like a silver lining in dark clouds. Do we as wise parents are doing justice by depriving them of charming dream from which they don’t want to part with.
Now, let us have a glimpse of surrounding scenario currently looming large amongst little kids and up springing children. The early morning picture is too amusing to have appreciations for all the wise parents in that their little kids are pushed into the labyrinth of learning with heavy load of books and note books beyond their caring capacity on piggybacks. This way they are confronted with triple-load – Physical, mental and Psychological.
Are we meting out justice to our budding kids and children is a very pertinent point to ponder upon. The higher authorities at the helm should come to the forefront in framing policies and promulgating parameters in association with the conscientious parents.
How is the life of children of today? They are weaned straight from milk bottle to the nursery school! The more the homework he or she carries, the better school is considered to be. Not to be left behind in race for excellence, the child is sent for tuition and the teacher imparting tution to more than 30-40 children at a time. Things are no better at home too. In many rich homes where parents are over-obsessed with their pursuits, the children are oftenly diverted to video games, expensive toys, computers to the extent of internet and social medias apart from mobile of all hues in a way that the very spirit and sanctity becomes somehow obliterated by overuse , misuse or to say abuse.
The enigmatic scenario doesn’t stop over here. The generous amount of pocket money even in mediocre families, whether the mother is employeed or otherwise routinely a housewife, there is hardly any time for the family members who can share their feelings to foster their togetherness. Whatever little leisure is there it is squeezed out of the marathon of life and is swallowed by the TV serials which instead of creating congenial environment add fuel to fire in hassle-packed progression which way in becomes like a quick-fix in family trifling over frivolous issues thereby hooking the altitudinal inertia of our kids, children and their associates. Surveys show, the more children watch the less they observe. Their thinking and responses become adultlike in other words around the minds of the children find shortcuts into adulthood without having the know-how of natural process of growing. And all these factors in togetherness are sure to create a generation of mini adults lacking imitative, motivation and enterprise. There is a tendency to put the whole blame at the door of school and the education system. It is an admitted fact that schools complicate the matters but at the same time, solution lies at home. It is, infact, the home that moulds the character of the child.
The kids and the small children are extremely sensitive and receptive as they are growing all the time and in the process they are accepting or rejecting the goods and bads as they are physically fragile and mentally fertile. So, in all manifestations, parent’s guidance play a pivotal role in moulding the life of the children.
The educationist opined that a child is influenced by three prominent factors- the school where he studies, the friends and his associates with whom he plays and shares his feelings and finally home where he spends maximum time with parents and other kids/ children of his relation. So, home is predominantly the best school for the kids and young children.
Considering today’s lifestyle, in almost all families dinner time is an ideal time. It is worthwhile to say that after the dinner is over, there is a cool and congenial environment when the children can conveniently be convinced to share their feelings and aspirations with their parents and the relatives and their kids and children on all matters and so such this can play a prominent part in moulding and shaping the future of both the kids and the children.
(The writer is former Deputy Conservator of Forest, J&K).
