Living in India, I have found that the journey called life is more about responsibilities than about choice. A child's life is not just about having fun and enjoying his/her childhood. People have a deep rooted belief that they need to teach their children in a way that they have a bright future.
Its not a wrong thought in any way, as you might say. Obviously it is good to plan and nurture the child for a better future. Due to an extra large population of middle class, this is one aspect that every parent considers his/her most important thing in the life of their children. Every parent wants his/her child to grow leaps and bounds and they dream of the day the child will break the shackles of the middle class and will enter the higher class. This is where the issue begins.
Based on my personal experience with children while I got a chance to teach in a higher secondary school as a substitute Computers teacher in a school where most of the children belonged to middle class, I came across something that left such an impact on me that changed my view about this particular aspect, forever.
If you ask any child, of any standard that if they had a career path in their minds, almost everyone of them will answer in affirmative. It felt good to see that children from almost every class which I was teaching i.e. 3rd standard to 10th standard, almost everyone replied in the affirmative. At this stage I decided to go one step ahead and ask them what made them chose that particular career. Almost everyone wanted to be an Engineer or a Doctor, which is understandable as it is seen as the shortest path to move up to the higher class. But the reason that made them chose that left me baffled. You would be surprised to hear the answer(atleast if you are not Indian). I will put the answer in points for more clarity.
Ans 1: My dad wants me to do that.
Ans 2: My mom wants me to do that.
Ans 3: I haven't decided yet because my dad says I should be an engineer but my mom wants me to be a doctor.
Ans 4: I haven't decided yet because my mom says I should be an engineer but my dad wants me to be a doctor.
Not a single child said that he/she had chosen it because they want to. This left me so stunned that I felt pity for these children as I saw their childhood lost in the dreams of their parents. The worst part is that nobody thinks it is wrong in any way. The consent or talent of the child is of no importance for parents. If this trend continues for long, we will definitely have many engineers and doctors but at the cost of childhood of the child. Childhood is a stage where the child interacts with the society and that interaction is a must for being a good human being.
Seeing so many children around but no childhood is something too much to bear for me. But alas, what can I do more than putting my thoughts in words and presenting them to you?
Its not a wrong thought in any way, as you might say. Obviously it is good to plan and nurture the child for a better future. Due to an extra large population of middle class, this is one aspect that every parent considers his/her most important thing in the life of their children. Every parent wants his/her child to grow leaps and bounds and they dream of the day the child will break the shackles of the middle class and will enter the higher class. This is where the issue begins.
Based on my personal experience with children while I got a chance to teach in a higher secondary school as a substitute Computers teacher in a school where most of the children belonged to middle class, I came across something that left such an impact on me that changed my view about this particular aspect, forever.
If you ask any child, of any standard that if they had a career path in their minds, almost everyone of them will answer in affirmative. It felt good to see that children from almost every class which I was teaching i.e. 3rd standard to 10th standard, almost everyone replied in the affirmative. At this stage I decided to go one step ahead and ask them what made them chose that particular career. Almost everyone wanted to be an Engineer or a Doctor, which is understandable as it is seen as the shortest path to move up to the higher class. But the reason that made them chose that left me baffled. You would be surprised to hear the answer(atleast if you are not Indian). I will put the answer in points for more clarity.
Ans 1: My dad wants me to do that.
Ans 2: My mom wants me to do that.
Ans 3: I haven't decided yet because my dad says I should be an engineer but my mom wants me to be a doctor.
Ans 4: I haven't decided yet because my mom says I should be an engineer but my dad wants me to be a doctor.
Not a single child said that he/she had chosen it because they want to. This left me so stunned that I felt pity for these children as I saw their childhood lost in the dreams of their parents. The worst part is that nobody thinks it is wrong in any way. The consent or talent of the child is of no importance for parents. If this trend continues for long, we will definitely have many engineers and doctors but at the cost of childhood of the child. Childhood is a stage where the child interacts with the society and that interaction is a must for being a good human being.
Seeing so many children around but no childhood is something too much to bear for me. But alas, what can I do more than putting my thoughts in words and presenting them to you?
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