***************************************************************************************************************************************
One of the reasons I loved IIT KGP was that students there always had this sharing nature...after they passed their first year without getting booted out.
I too wanted to inculcate this sharing nature in my only son.
This was because of an incident that turned my spiritual bowels:
My neighbors there were a working couple with two kids, the younger one my son's age. So, they were very happy to leave their younger kid in our home so he could play with my son with all his toys, bats and balls, and share his idli-dosa tiffin...which was fine with me since their kid was cute and bright and lovable.
When my son was admitted to St Agnes School and in his Nursery Class, he was lisping some nice nursery rhymes new to me...I only knew: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" which my father taught me while we were sleeping under the starlit skies of our sea-side village Muthukur.
So, I took my pen and paper and asked him to recite all the rhymes he learned in the good old convent. We were then in our verandah; seeing us, my son's neighbor-classmate ran into our home and stood beside my son, both singing in concert, with actions like lifting their two hands and placing them on their shoulders and taking them away while reciting:
"Two little dicky birds..."
Then my neighbourani happened to come out on to her verandah combing her sumptuous hair like in that favorite Hindi Movie song...
And saw with her own eyes her darling son sharing his rhymes with mine and me too...and she threw away her comb and let her hair fly like Draupadi, ran out and opened her gate, ran down the main road, opened our gate, entered with lightning speed despite her ample figure, caught her son by his shoulder and dragged him home, all the while trying to smile at me saying: "It is time for his bath", and shutting her son's mouth when he tried to protest: "You gave me my bath ten minutes back, no?"
Upon which I decided to train my son to share all he has with his friends despite everything. This training helped him in his life...everyone loves him as long as they are not compelled to reciprocate...it became his second nature...particularly in sharing blame...
And now I am training his daughter Ishani (all of 2.5) to share whatever she has in her hands.
Whenever she ambles into our bedroom with a bowl of grapes, pakoras, cashew nuts and the like that her mom gave her, I ask her:
"Won't you please give me one?"
Upon which she demurely places one pakora piece in my hand. And I smile and give it back to her saying:
"I can't eat it, you know...I don't have teeth!"
Upon which she shows off the bright row of all her milk-teeth, saying:
"But I do have, see!!!"
and munches the pokara she offered to her granpa-god and got it back, as prosad happily.
This has become as regular a routine with us as my praising her beauty and brains.
But yesterday she came in with a bowl of Cadbury Gems in her hands and a couple of tears swelling in her eyes. I comforted her with an embrace and asked her what was the matter. And she said:
"Tinkoo came in while I was eating gems. And I recalled your lesson to me to share whatever I have with my friends. And gave him one gem"
And I said:
"Wonderful! Wonderful!! Wonderful!!!"
But she moaned:
"What Wonderful? He ATE it!!! hoon...hoon...hoon..."
"Before offering to share with others what you have, do factor into account the likelihood that they indeed may accept your offer shamelessly"
...Posted by Ishani
*******************************************************************************************************************************
One of the reasons I loved IIT KGP was that students there always had this sharing nature...after they passed their first year without getting booted out.
I too wanted to inculcate this sharing nature in my only son.
This was because of an incident that turned my spiritual bowels:
My neighbors there were a working couple with two kids, the younger one my son's age. So, they were very happy to leave their younger kid in our home so he could play with my son with all his toys, bats and balls, and share his idli-dosa tiffin...which was fine with me since their kid was cute and bright and lovable.
When my son was admitted to St Agnes School and in his Nursery Class, he was lisping some nice nursery rhymes new to me...I only knew: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" which my father taught me while we were sleeping under the starlit skies of our sea-side village Muthukur.
So, I took my pen and paper and asked him to recite all the rhymes he learned in the good old convent. We were then in our verandah; seeing us, my son's neighbor-classmate ran into our home and stood beside my son, both singing in concert, with actions like lifting their two hands and placing them on their shoulders and taking them away while reciting:
"Two little dicky birds..."
Then my neighbourani happened to come out on to her verandah combing her sumptuous hair like in that favorite Hindi Movie song...
And saw with her own eyes her darling son sharing his rhymes with mine and me too...and she threw away her comb and let her hair fly like Draupadi, ran out and opened her gate, ran down the main road, opened our gate, entered with lightning speed despite her ample figure, caught her son by his shoulder and dragged him home, all the while trying to smile at me saying: "It is time for his bath", and shutting her son's mouth when he tried to protest: "You gave me my bath ten minutes back, no?"
Upon which I decided to train my son to share all he has with his friends despite everything. This training helped him in his life...everyone loves him as long as they are not compelled to reciprocate...it became his second nature...particularly in sharing blame...
And now I am training his daughter Ishani (all of 2.5) to share whatever she has in her hands.
Whenever she ambles into our bedroom with a bowl of grapes, pakoras, cashew nuts and the like that her mom gave her, I ask her:
"Won't you please give me one?"
Upon which she demurely places one pakora piece in my hand. And I smile and give it back to her saying:
"I can't eat it, you know...I don't have teeth!"
Upon which she shows off the bright row of all her milk-teeth, saying:
"But I do have, see!!!"
and munches the pokara she offered to her granpa-god and got it back, as prosad happily.
This has become as regular a routine with us as my praising her beauty and brains.
But yesterday she came in with a bowl of Cadbury Gems in her hands and a couple of tears swelling in her eyes. I comforted her with an embrace and asked her what was the matter. And she said:
"Tinkoo came in while I was eating gems. And I recalled your lesson to me to share whatever I have with my friends. And gave him one gem"
And I said:
"Wonderful! Wonderful!! Wonderful!!!"
But she moaned:
"What Wonderful? He ATE it!!! hoon...hoon...hoon..."
Moral
"Before offering to share with others what you have, do factor into account the likelihood that they indeed may accept your offer shamelessly"
...Posted by Ishani
*******************************************************************************************************************************
No comments:
Post a Comment