In the last couple of weeks I keep on hearing about how young children both school going as well as those going to college are committing suicide. One didn't do well in an examination so she committed suicide, another was fined Rs. 150 & did not know how to face the parents so he committed suicide, another could not participate in some reality show so committed suicide, another faced criticism in front of an audience so attempted to commit suicide and so on.....
HORRIFIED & SAD .... yes .. SURPRISED ... no !!!
Why do these children take these drastic steps, why does it seem that is so easy for them to go over the edge ...
Well... we are to blame for this ... the fault lies both with us as parents as well as the teachers especially at school level. We tend to forget that children are what we make them both at home and at school, we as parents & their teachers have brought them up, we as parents & their teachers have have taught them what they know, they have picked up everything from us & the teacher so lets not pick on the child as being weak.
If they have become strong and confident it is because of the parents and the teachers and the same goes if they are weak & insecure ... the responsibility is still ours.
We have suceeded in bringing up a child to be well versed with ABC & 123 but we on the way we forgot to teach them on to be strong, confident & good human beings.
When we look at bringing up a child today, it revolves around school & what happens in school. We seem to always stress on the ABCs & 123s. Everything is about getting it right both at home and at school and all is performance related. Naturally as the years go by the pressure increases, the expectation increases, performance level increases and soon the child is running at break neck speed ... but have we ever paused to think is the child mentally prepared to run at this speed .. ???
We really need to rethink what we are trying to achieve. I think in the early years we should teaching them more about life & the things that are beautiful, kind and happy. We should teach them what this great big world has to offer in terms of the soul. We need to teach them how to enjoy life with the smallest of blessings. We need to continuously build and monitor their self confidence and esteem ...... all this will never be seen on a report card but the child sure needs these paragraphs to graduate in the story of life.
Sure life is tough and competitive but what is the use of all this ABC & 123 if the child cannot handle oneself and the pressures of life ? What is the use of all this ABC and 123 if the child has no confidence and self esteem .....
What is the use of a top ranking report card when the child has committed suicide ?
Let us teach our children how to live life with its ups & downs first and then worry about the ABCs & 123s otherwise we are just going to see an increase in this very unfortunate trend of children taking their own lives. Today it might have happened to someone else's child but when was the last time you took the time to look the child's report card on life .....
