Keep The Child In You Alive

14 November is a day that brings in good memories for kids who have attended school in India. Yes! It is the 'Children's Day'.

This day was christened as Children Day to commemorate the birthday of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, our first prime minister of India. Besides his many qualities of statesmanship, he loved children immensely and that earned him the nickname of 'चाचा नेहरू'. Every Indian kid knows that this is the day where all schools would run fun & frolic activities. They look forward to it but what they love the most about this day is that there will be no studies conducted. The schools, the government feels that this is one day every kid must stay away from academics in order to indulge in activities that bring joy. It may sound strange but it appears to me an irony where all institutions in unison are recognising that academics are a burden or something that kills joy.

Why cannot we all think of a way where every day in the academic calendar of an Indian child is lived as 'Children's Day'. Every kid would then look forward to go to school and learn if fun was associated with it. I am not belittling the notion of having us honour our first PM but I would urge that the fervour of this day is extended to cover complete lifecycle of a student . It would then be fulfilling Pt JL Nehru's vision as far as kids are concerned. The intention should be to foster joy & bliss in all the children.

Rediscover the child within

We all know that the children are an asset to any nation or economy as they would grow up to run the affairs of the state and be the reason for its success or failure. Thus nurturing children by inculcating right values will go a long way to ensure the country to prosper.

The children have a 'no limit mindset' when it comes to having their way. When they are toddlers or infants, they operate with only two emotions-'anger & love'. These two emotions are sufficient for them to drive the adults and make them toe the line as per their wishes.

You would have observed that kids or toddlers like to take big risks when it comes to jumping from stairs, diving in water, climbing higher placed rides etc. They have no fear and 'no obstacle is an obstacle for them'. This attitude makes them achieve any feat that they set their sights on. We adults invariably submit to their demands. Be it getting an icecream from vendor or having a toy from the shop or going out of house-these children seem to always have their way.

They do not feel the pain of rejection, have no pangs of disappointment and carry no worries at all. If they receive a 'No' from parents or get a dressing down, they may pause & Lo! behold !-they start pestering the parents again till they get what they want. If they fall while playing on the ride, they may cry but not leave the ride and always come back to negotiate the ride successfully. They don't seem to know the 'concept of failure'.

Just imagine if this attitude, this mental state and this approach of life was part of your demeanour as an adult. It would lead to success in whatever field you operate in. Thus it is critical that you KEEP THE CHILD WITHIN YOU ALIVE. In order to have this 'No Limit Mindset', you need to rediscover the child within you.

Celebrating Children's Day - Recharge For Self

My daughter studies in Amity International School, Noida (AIS, Noida) and I have been fortunate to be associated with the school management as volunteer to support the celebration of Children's day. This day I don the hat of a story teller to weave some interesting tit-bits & hope to ignite Kids imaginations.

Last year I interacted with Kids & I shared the story of 'Mountain man-Dashrath Manjhi'. This year the theme was based on the hit movie 'Inside Out'. I asked the organising members as to what is expected out of me only to get the reply from the coordinating teacher that 'Sir, please ask your daughter and she will tell you everything'.

She was so right, Children's day should have inputs from kids and who better at it than my own daughter.

My daughter gave me some valuable inputs and the first one was -"Papa! watch the movie". This was the best suggestion as I love animation movies and this was an opportunity to indulge.

Inside Out- Identifying & Managing Emotions

Armed with popcorn, chips & soda, me & my daughter embarked on soul searching journey. I mean , we both saw Inside Out Part I & II :D :D :D (LoL)

For her it was a revision as she had seen these movies previously however for me , it was a revelation. This movie is a must see for all parents of toddlers, pre-teen(as my daughter loves calling herself) & teens. The movies allowed me a peak inside the mind of kids and the emotions that are driving them. They have beautifully explained as to what kind of emotions are at play in toddlers.

Anger, Love, Joy, Sadness, Fear are the basic emotions which are expressed in smaller kids. However as they grow up, then emotions like Jealousy, Anxiety , Embarrassment etc. kick up on top of the basic emotions.

Identifying our emotions as kids and by adults is a game changer in our efforts to manage them effectively. This knowledge prepares kids to recognise their emotions and the resultant behaviour in order to navigate their life seamlessly. For adults, understanding these emotions especially during the teenager phase of their kids helps them to empathise with their children to act as enablers and not as gatekeepers.

I got educated a lot by the movie and now I clearly know the difference between Fear- an emotion caused by something that is seen in order to react to it.

&

Anxiety- an emotion caused by elements that are unseen or likely possibilities in future which evokes this.

D Day - 14 Nov 2024

Armed with knowledge from the movies, I practiced my story on 13 Nov and landed in the middle of kids in AIS, Noida. Thereafter it was a joyride. The kids joined me to have fun, learn and above all teach me.

The snacks, feeling of being in classroom & infectious enthusiasm of kids was like tonic to my being. I learnt many things that day but what stood out was that our kids are facing onslaught of emotions and yet they manage to keep poise, resilience & be joyful. Their attitude , smiles & humour invigorated me. I am sure I will be able to 'Keep The Child In Me Alive'.

I was humbled at the experience & glad to be part of this day. Thanks to Amity International School , Noida for this opportunity.

सर्वदा शक्तिशाली

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