Yesterday evening there was piercing bell at the door. The electric bell was screeching enough to jolt the complete household. As I reacted and got up to open the door, the person in waiting started to bang the door with tender noise. As I reached the main door, and looked through like an eagle into the door eye; I could see nothing. I panicked and pulled open the door with all force. What do I see ….
My little five year old boy. He was panting, soiled, disheveled and his eyes were all swollen up with saline water. I held him tight in my weak arms and gave him the console of a mother. In his baby voice, he spoke out of breath, “Ma! Why is Ishaan refusing to play with me? He told me to get my own ball. He did not share his ball. Also Ma, the other day at our friend’s house; Angad refused to share the story books and the Xbox. Isn’t that being mean?” His wails and whines were getting the attention of my ears and heart, but I could still not comprehend, the real issue playing in his mind.
“Ma…? Are you listening? Few days back in my school bus, the girl did not share the seat with me. She said that she needed to keep her project; least the teacher would scold her. But, why Ma? Isn’t the seat meant for us to sit on? The project could be with the Conductor Bhaiya. Everyone is always thinking about themselves. They don’t care for others”, said my little boy; still trying to balance his glass of water and the gasp of the breath.
Now, before I could go on and lecture the template “Listen child you need to learn to make friends”; I dwelled into the context. Yes, he was right in a way.
If you would have observed, in the common condominium parks all the kids would have their individual ball, bat, toy which they are seen playing with their maids. They don’t like the equilibrium to get disturbed by the presence of any new child. As many children, as many balls. Well! There was also a time not very long ago, when there would only be one or two balls to play with in the park.
Children now can engage themselves with many online games, x-boxes, I-pads and gadgets of all sorts. This again is an individualistic approach; where they rarely need a partner.
Thanks to the water tight work-life schedule we have, kids hardly get to interact with their cousins, relatives. Unlike earlier times, when coming of cousins was a permanent seasonal fixture.
Even siblings at home, create a huge ruckus over the channel to be watched. They cannot converge on the same cartoon channel. Oh! Poor mother, her bedroom television and channels get dedicated for the peace and harmony of the house hold.
I wonder, haven’t we unconsciously percolated this “I, Me and Myself” syndrome into our kids? Don’t we keep saying – my phone, my room, my car, my bathroom, my television, my laptop, my I-pad. Don’t we sometimes knowingly or unknowingly exhibit some selfish aspect of our personalities, in front of our young ones? Don’t we grimace when our hassled neighbor comes running asking for milk or some essential item. Why is the community living missing?
Not much ago, these very items were things shared by not only the immediate family, but the neighborhood, relatives, friends, colleagues, street dogs and everyone. The main door of the flat would always be ajar, wanting the neighbor to drop in and chit chat.
May be the current social state of our young children is churning. May be the nectar shall come out soon. May be they will be on Facetime, Viber and many other technologies but the human touch and connect should not get lost in the labyrinths of technology.
We as parents need to change our ways for better and set the right example for the future generation.
