An Excerpt From The Diary Of A Teenager: “I Wish I Was Born Outside India”

The following is an excerpt from the diary of a teenager who I often meet. And while reading this I really felt that “Is it only him who feels this way or do we have others too?”

4 Reasons Why Moms Are Awesome

I know what you’re thinking, reader. I know you’re probably mulling over the fact that I am writing the typical mom appreciation article, despite the fact that it’s not mother’s day today. Why? Why? Why? Because I figured out that given the amount of sacrifices that our mothers make for us, even if we thank them every single day we wouldn’t come across as grateful enough. So, let’s take a moment to appreciate the person who acts as our personal assistant (and much more) round the clock.

Are children being burdened by the aspirations of their parents?

Parents concoct a dream world for their children and imagine how their lives would turn out to be. They have a lot of expectations and aspirations for their children. Most of the expectations are social, moral and ethical which should be inculcated, undoubtedly. Needless to say, those parents obviously desire the best for their child. But sometimes, they attempt at living their unfulfilled life goals and dreams through their children, by constantly pushing them to achieve what they couldn’t. Right from the time a child is born, the competition starts. He should start walking, talking as early as possible. He should win races, excel in academics, be a good speaker; be a shining star in everything he does, to frame in a nutshell. His classmate participates in 20 activities, so why can’t he do the same?

Every child has his/her own capabilities and strengths. However, in today’s scenario, where competition has augmented our quest to be successful in nearly all the aspects of life, parents end up burdening their child with a heavy load of ambitions, which actually may not be the outcome of his own fabrication. The innocent is unaware of the unseen burden. Nowadays, 9-10 years old can be seen with this huge boulder on their shoulders, attending varied classes even after the normal school hours. With the changing times, our standard of living has surely enhanced, which means that the parents aim at providing everything and anything to their children. But does that mean, sending the tiny ones to numerous classes; be it swimming, dancing, singing, so that they have their heads in almost every field?

Just because a first standard child is soft spoken, is it right to send him away for tuition or coaching to assist him in speaking fluently? Every child develops at his own pace. Let them be! But then, they are parents. They want their child to have a secure future. A profession which provides them succor throughout their lives, a personality that facilitates them to move ahead, even if it is at the cost of pressurizing their life to such an extent that they feel stressed and over-burdened. What we learn in our childhood leaves an ineradicable impact on our lives. The more relaxed and happy our childhood is the more confident and optimistic we would become. Parents need to realize that although their ultimate goal is to ensure an assured future for their child, imposing their dreams on the young minds is not an option. It is crucial that the mind and cognition of the child develops. They need a nurturing and holistic environment, enabling them to try out new things, facilitating a channel of guidance between the child and the parents.

I, being a fortunate one, never found a situation wherein I was forced to get my hands into something which I didn’t like, was always provided with an environment aiding me to develop as per my own caliber. I realized, understood and embraced the things my parents stand for, eventually. It is imperative that the child is nurtured with open and active listening, thus setting the standard for communication. You see, fear is the enemy of wisdom and turns knowledgeable individuals into fools. Faith is the only face setting us free to succeed on our own path of life. A happy childhood is all that is asked for. I suppose that not everybody reading this article is a parent, nevertheless, the message can be spread by anyone and everyone.



Written by Chhavi Minhas
“A free spirit, dreamer and admirer of this puzzle called life”

How to deal your children when they are adolescents?

The age of adolescence is quite different and it is difficult for the parents to deal with their children at this stage. The adolescents are not so mature at this stage but it is true that they are not too small that they do not understand anything. They understand the problems but are not capable of making right decisions. They may make wrong decisions to the extent that can spoil their whole life.

At this stage of life, parents need to be very careful and supportive towards their child. Parents are the one who give birth to the child so it is their responsibility to give right direction to their child’s life, to support them when they are right. Parents must never be too busy to not be able to focus on their child, their problems, and their activities. They need to maintain friendly behaviour with their child so that they never hesitate to share their problems with them.

At this stage, most adolescents want to enjoy their life and in doing this they may harm people. For instance, most of the adolescents do the rash driving and are involved in accident cases. As a result, they physically harm themselves and others. Here, parents need that they sit with their children and make them realize the importance of their life and also the other persons’ life whom they may affect due to their thrill. If adolescents are treated very harshly or strictly by their parents, it will affect adversely to their relation. They may not want to share their problems with their parents if they are harsh as the adolescents think they will not understand them. Parents must try to understand their children before jumping to conclusions. If the adolescents break rules then parents do not need to be harsh and scold their child but they need to make them understand the importance of rules, why they have been made and overall they are made for discipline and also for the protection of people in the society. If proper guidance is not given to the children at this age, they may go in a wrong way which may harm the reputation of parents and also the career or maybe the whole life of children.

Parents must not give too much freedom to their child, it will surely take them the wrong way. There is a limit of everything. Parents need to understand that to what extent their child needs freedom and how much mature their children are. Each and every child is different and also the circumstances before them are different, even siblings are different, so they need to understand the situation and take decisions for their child according to their situation.

Dealing with children properly can make them a responsible person and improper dealing can ruin their entire life. So, parents need to be very patient and careful while dealing with their child at this stage of life.



Written by Prerna Garg
I am from Khurja, have completed my secondary education and now pursuing B.B.A. from Bulandshahr. I have a special interest in writing.

How to teach your KIDS to manage FINANCES right from the begining?

“A Fresh mind gains the most”. It’s quite obvious that nothing can beat a fresh mind or we can say a “kid’s mind”. It's powerful, super-active, creative and most importantly it learns things much quicker than a teenager’s or an adult’s mind. Just like a seed; the way we nurture it, the kinds of fruits we get from it. That is why from the very first, kids are being taught about mannerisms, discipline etc.

But in between all these, there are certain practical things that are needed to be taught with proper care. Usually, there are complaints from parents about their teens that they don’t utilize money properly, they waste it or misuse it. A lot of people graduate from college without any idea of how to manage their money or balance their bank accounts.

Have we ever thought that where the mistakes lie? Maybe like every other lesson, finance management should be taught to the kids as well. Though a question arises, whether these little kids are capable of handling money at this small age? The answer is, of course, yes! It is good to teach children basics of finance as early as possible. Like, at the age of seven to ten, they should purchase things they want, under supervision. Kids should be taught the value of money.

There are certain methods that can be followed for helping kids to manage finance from their early childhood itself:

1. THE PIGGY BANK IDEA –

This would be rated as one of the best ideas to manage finance at the very early stage. Usually, kids are fond of the piggy bank because it not only keeps their saving but is also a great toy to play with. Above all this, if it’s a clear jar then they get more excited as they see their money growing.

2. POCKETMONEY –

The concept of pocket money helps to build up a quality of proper utilization of money. If they are given a certain sum to spend for a certain time period then they’ll count on to every penny before spending it. They’ll also make sure that they spend their amount on certain useful items only.

3. A BANK ACCOUNT –

There are certain banks which provide various Children Schemes for opening a minor’s a bank account. Opening a bank account at the age of 10-11 can bring a sense of responsibility to the child.

This is not the end, but this is the start for our kids to develop themselves in such responsibilities. This is the time to give them a sense of responsibility. There are many of us who look back on our childhood and wish we would’ve been taught about the same? Don’t we?

Written by Manisha Choraria

A Graduate, Full of enthusiasm. Bollywood freak and full of life. Love writing and aspire to evolve as a good writer.

Why do we still decide the Future of our Children?

Even after 68 years of Independence we still don’t have the right to decide what we really want do in future. Why? Aren’t we capable enough or it's our parents trust that lacks? Whatever the reason maybe but from my personal experience and what I have seen around me with my friends, children still don’t have the freedom to decide.

Some are children are good in studies, some are not then why do expect the same result from them. We weren’t born same, were we? There’s a saying that in a race of all species if you ask a fish to climb the tree, it will obviously fail. Our capabilities are different and so is our grasping power. Every great man was not great in studies. Steve Jobs didn’t go to college still he worked hard and became the CEO of Apple, twice. Bill Gates failed in almost every subject in high school still he founded Microsoft. Unbelievable right? That’s my entire point don’t judge your children on the basis of their grades.

I came in eleventh and that was the time when I had to decide what I really wanted to study and do in the future. My school introduced humanities with Media Studies. As I loved writing I was really attracted to the course. My parents and my relatives were a little reluctant about it as they wanted me to take Commerce (because my grandmother was an accounts teacher). Clear about what I had to do I convinced everybody and they agreed (a little reluctantly). Then my result came and I got a scholarship in Media Studies. My parents were amazed and very happy. More than the scholarship I was glad that I stood for myself. The fight was totally worth it. That day my parents learnt a lesson that forcing someone into something will only do harm.

On the other hand, a very close friend of mine killed her dreams and did what her parents wanted. She was a great artist and since childhood, she always won prizes for her paintings and drawings. As class eleventh approached for her she left everything and took science only because her father wanted. I was unhappy with her decision but still she did what her parents wanted. Science was not her cup of tea and even had to appear for re-examinations. Now, in college too she is pursuing Engineering and is finding it very tough. After Tina Dabi, her father is even asking her to try for UPSC. Where will it all lead to? What about her happiness? But I believe it’s her fault as well. She didn’t stand for herself.

You see, forcing doesn’t help. Let them grow, learn and decide what they want to do with their life. Have faith in them and they will soon turn into an inspiration.

Written by Chayanika Singh

Unique name right? Well, I am a big time foodie and a travel junkie but I also love to write about serious issues and problems all over the world. Sometimes my write-ups will be of great joy and sometimes they’ll make you think about issues.