We become better parents when we see through our child's eyes
EVERYBODY WANTS TO LEAVE A BETTER PLANET FOR THE KID'S
HOW ABOUT LEAVING A BETTER KID'S TO THE PLANET
Many years ago I read a book " All I need to know I learned in Kindergarten" by Robert Fulghum. It was a book on parenting and as a young parent I was ready to soak in all the tips I needed from every possible source. Though I have long forgotten all the tips the book had to offer ( Like most seasoned parents I too have formulated my own fluid rules), the title has left a lasting impression on me. It keeps ringing in my mind unannounced, at the slightest provocation from the antics of my growing kids. For one I have learnt that a child is the father of man. Yes, children present their views lucidly and the lessons they deliver are sometimes hard hitting. With all their inherent innocence and simplicity their views speaks volumes about us, and our world. There is so much to learn from them. When I say this I'm not talking about the lessons which seem to make more sense now, when I teach my elder one than when I studied them at school. I'm talking about the times when say perhaps, you take your child to a zoo and he/she remarks on seeing two squabbling monkey's - "Hey! this couple also fights like Mom and Pop." Wooh! such statements hurts! Right? The truth however is that we too are animals though we consider ourselves superior.
There will be times when the moral lessons you gave to your child about being honest and truthful leaves you in cold sweat. Like say you are at a party trying desperately to garner some brownie points from your boss and praise him by saying " Sir you look so smart in that suit." Your kid bats his/her eyes innocently saying "But Daddy yesterday you said, no matter what that bugger wears he looks like a crazy Ass!" Well what do we tell our children? -That one should not be too honest or that an adult world cannot operate without lies- white and black. Children force us to look inward and put our demeanor, our behavior and the functioning of our entire world under the scanner. What we have come to accept as usual, begins to shock us , disturb us. It is important to see the adult world through a child's eyes, in order to understand the underlying flaws. Perhaps such shockers from our children may provoke us to become better human beings or more adept manipulators.See the through your child's eye to leave a better world behind!
