In the midst of the mad rush for ‘arriving’ in life, the needs of the child are forgotten. It is all about what you can achieve through the child. Parental expectations are high to the point of being unreasonable, and this literally robs the child of the joys of childhood.

Today’s parents often try to fulfil their aspirations through their child. Their child has to do better than everyone else. They do not give him any room for failure. Is this fair? Where is the time to enjoy the world of fantasy, to enter the world of make-believe, and chase after butterflies and dreams? Time after time I have had frustrated and distraught students ask me, “If all parents came first in class as they claim, who ever came second?”

The pressure to perform and win the appreciation of their parents is so intense that the child is denied the luxury of revelling in and enjoying what he does. The elder son, Yohan, in the movie is by any definition a high achiever. But there is no evidence of any joy in what he is doing. His achievement on the tennis court is belittled and yet his sole aim is to live up to his father’s expectations. He has also been denied the carefree excitement of childhood. This is not what any child should be subjected to, bright or otherwise. It also makes one question the understanding of being ‘bright’. Does everything have to be quantified as marks and percentages? We need to reward effort and equate that with a quest for excellence. After all, hard work, sincerity and dedication must count for more than the marks in an exam. Recognition of the above will infuse children with confidence in themselves and motivate them to aim even higher. They will find joy in what they are doing. And a happy child will always learn to his potential.

... contd.