My son will soon be promoted to class 9 and will face the 2 most crucial years of career-deciding years now. Though me and my husband have always encouraged our son to pursue his interests and have never forced him, still I believe somewhere the fear of the big competitive world haunts him.
Yesterday while going through the various courses that interest him, he just put his head on my lap and said, “Maa, its a big competitive world out there. Why is there so much of cut-throat competition?” He had suddenly become the little baby of mine who wanted to feel secure. I lovingly told him, “Please don’t get pressurized. God forbid if you don’t get the subject or course of your choice, there are many other avenues now where you can excel and be successful in life. Remember, me and your Baba will always support you and love you no matter what.”
A teenager goes through a gamut of changes both physically and emotionally. Somewhere to prove himself/herself also pressurizes them at times. I believe as parents or rather as a society we need to encourage our children to pursue their dreams, assure them that we are always with them, that failure is not the end of this world and they should learn to fight back, that there are many other beautiful aspects of life that they need to enjoy.
In days and times where kids take drastic steps due to this emotional vulnerability, the parents and the society should learn to be their biggest support and anchor so that we can make these young people stronger and more confident about themselves.
Life and its different shades 