Are your children cherished?

kelly1966 · Nov 29, 2010

Meena...
So very true... thats the problem with most of us who are "perfectionist"... I've learnt the hard way that everybody around you can't be "YOU" and can't do things only your way... also that actually when things are not "perfect" they actually give chances to more options...
very sad about the lil girl.... I always feel that there is no greater cross to carry than the death of your own child!!!...God give her parents Solace...
and lastly... I totally agree... "Children are there to be cherished... enjoy them as long as they are around and then let them go free to build their lives...
K

happyalways · Dec 1, 2010

Meena

A touching post. Made me emotional. You are so right about the rat race though I make a conscious effort to keep my son out of the rat race, there are times I succumb to pressure. I do cherish my son and hope he understands that. I wish all parents cherish their children and accept them as they are.

meenasankaran · Dec 7, 2010

@ Kamla of PA - Yes, I did have a nice Thanksgiving holiday, thank you. How was yours? I agree with everything you said about cherishing children. A very special 'amen' to when you said "I am thankful to God that he lets us forget this fact and we go about our lives like it will last forever! ". May we all continue to live our lives forgetting that fact. Thank you, Kamla, for your wonderful fb.

meenasankaran · Dec 7, 2010

Dear Kelly,

Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with me. I totally cherish my children but when it comes to letting them go when the time comes, to find their own ways in life, I hope I have the strength to let go.

meenasankaran · Dec 7, 2010

Dear Happyalways,

I am so glad to see you here.

//I make a conscious effort to keep my son out of the rat race, there are times I succumb to pressure.//

Yes, it happens to me too but I think as long as we make a genuine effort to step back from the rat race whenever we can, we will spare our children the pain of going through a tough childhood. Btw, I love your signature.:thumbsup

parusabari · Dec 8, 2010

Hello Dear,

I see my mom's namsake rendering me advices similar to hers. Not only my mom shares the name but also my second angel.

A post especially written for me i think. Recently we shifted to a new home and i have become a little strict. In the earlier house the refrigerator was stuck with drawings of my elder one and the younger one was free to scribble on the wall..........now the moment she picks the crayon to decorate the wall with her imagination two stern eyeballs rotate up and down .........and the poor child runs to me bcos she has never seen this avatar of mine till now. I think i need to relax as walls can be repainted again and yes furniture can be brought again.........let me the same cool mom that i was to them.
I feel ashamed that shifting of residence could bring such a drastic change in my temparement. Thanks for writing this lovely post and feeding my brain with timely advice.

Yes, my children are cherised. We both consider that our angels are the precious gifts that Ambal has blessed us with.

May God give strength to the girl's parents and i pray no parent ever has to face such a situation in life. May God be kind to all.

Love,
Parvathi.

meenasankaran · Dec 10, 2010

Dear Parvati,

Thanks for writing this lovely post and feeding my brain with timely advice.
Click to expand...

You are very welcome. While I never intended to advice or preach to anyone with this post, I did want parents to stop and re-evaluate their lives for a minute. Looks like you have done just that and I am so happy for you and your kids. Btw, your kids (in your avatar) look absolutely beautiful.

Sabitha_K · Dec 13, 2010

Dear Meena,

That is an excellent post with an equally endearing title.

What you have so beautifully put in this post not only makes it a poignant tale to read but also a thought provoking article on what this rat race does to the teensy cute mice who have just wriggled into this world and rushed off with an armour into the battlefield.

I look at those cute innocent faces carrying Brobdingnagian bags in those Lilliput shoulders and just can't help to wonder if every ounce of weight they are carrying is worth the burdened childhood memories carved.

Well can't blame the parents either.It is just that the world is moving at such a fast pace that no one wants to be left behind when it comes to parenting, tutoring or deciding the best for ones kids.And somewhere the parents are also as vulnerable and confused as the toddlers in this jet setting lifestyle and highly competitive world.It is just that parents think that they are doing the best and the child feels that he has to give the best and in between all this somewhere no one realizes if that BEST is what brings the best in the child.

Kudos to you on posting such snippets in your usual style of panache in writing.

meenasankaran · Jan 6, 2011

Dear Sabitha,

First of all, let me apologize for acknowledging your comment so late. Even if it is only half truth, I am going to simply blame it on the busy holiday season. After all, you don't expect me to own up to my laziness publicly in IL, do you?

It is just that the world is moving at such a fast pace that no one wants to be left behind
Click to expand...

I think you hit the bull's eye there. Parents are nudging the children into the rat race only because they have their best interests at heart and want to give them opportunities that they may never have had in their own childhoods.

Like you said, the world is fast-paced today whether we like it or not. To stay ahead in this world, one has to be atleast somewhat competitive, I agree but the problem is many parents lose perspective after a while and forget to see their children as children. If we have the objectivity to rein ourselves in and see the big picture and say 'Okay, that is enough' when the child teeters on the edge of severe pressure to perform, then there will be no problems but that balance is very hard to achieve. And like many of us here, I am trying my best to walk that tightrope everyday without falling on my face thereby hurting my children.

Thank you, as always, for a wonderful fb Sabitha.