Our background
To give you a little background on my life, we are an expat family, living in China for years and and then in India 2 years. Due to Covid, we now see so much devastation on the news. First it was in China and now it’s in India.
No CONtrol Anxiety
I am still in contact with my friends still living in Hyderabad. Often they tell me not to worry, it’s not as bad what appears on the news. However I do have anxiety in general. It’s hard to see the world turned upside down and I have no control. In these moments I tend to think about the past.
In order to move ahead must think positive. One of the most important lessons I learned is explained in this post.
Most Interesting Workshop
I was invited to my son’s school for a workshop hoping to encourage bonding relationships between parents and their children. The school hired a practical no nonsense motivational speaker who is a doctor (let me tell Indians are well educated). His admitted specialty is common sense. At the beginning of the workshop, the speaker turns off the lights and turns on a video from his computer.
India’s Got Talent
At once pumping rhythmic music comes on and all the moms in the room immediately start bopping their heads or tapping their feet, including me! A toddler girl comes on the screen dancing to the beat like a little tornado, she does acrobatics, she dances with props; and at the end of her performance everyone in the room claps enthusiastically. The camera pans to a marquee that makes me realize we just watched an excerpt from India’s Most Talented.
my reaction
The lights turn on and he says who wouldn’t wish their child had this type of dancing talent? I am the only one with my hand up. He asks me why? I explain that I hope that the child likes it and I hope her parents don’t force her.
but Who am I to judge?
The speaker then puts on a video with western kids doing sports and skateboarding. He then asks me, do you think that these children also like doing this and if the parents maybe pushed them into these sports? To be honest that really resonated with me since my children also have an interesting hobby (modeling/acting) that many of you may judge as selfish or even bad parenting. At that moment I realized his point, who’s to say what activities are right or wrong?
Don’t be scared if our kids aren’t us
Of course many of our children’s activities are ones we like to do as parents. The reason he showed the athletic video to the Indian parents was to encourage their children to do sports. He believes that Indian mothers are too overprotective and scared of their children getting hurt in more physical play.
be the best person you can be
However his point was universal since he also showed me there are many right ways to raise a child. Where we live, our own parents, and how we were raised all determine a child’s personality but I realize what’s more important is how I can impact my child’s values. Through my son’s school I learned that although I grew up a certain way there are many positive ways for children to grow up and that judging others opens up negativity. I need to have an open positive heart so that my children can also practice what I preach. So let it begin with me; I guess this mom can still learn from preschool, and it was India that taught me these things.
