Once upon a time, there was a beautiful peacock who loved himself a lot until one day he heard a nightingale singing nearby. Disappointed peacock shared his grief with the leader of the God’s, Juno to which he explained that every living is special in his or her own way. He further added, “They are and made in a certain manner that serves the greater purpose. The nightingale is blessed with a beautiful voice and you are blessed with beautiful feathers.
Life is all about acceptance and making the most of what we have.” By this story, we all can learn that we as an adult should always count our kid’s blessings as each child is unique in some special way or the other. How often we tell our kids, “Look at your best friend, he is the class topper. Why can’t you get excellent marks like her/him?” or “See, your brother/sister won the best player trophy again. Why can’t you play like him/her?” A comparison is the thief of joy that only serves to make you and your child frustrated and disappointed. We constantly compare their grades, height, weight, talent, performance, etc with their peers and friends. I know, as a parent, Comparison is certain but ideal parenting is all about giving ample of opportunities to your child to flourish rather than restricting them to your rules and regulations for which it is vital to relish their inimitable personality and identify theirs necessitates and ardor. Instead of saying, “Why can’t you study hard like your brother so that you get good marks like him’ say ‘To get good/ better marks to study hard’. Don’t pull them down by your unrealistic expectations.
Imagine an office where all the fifty sales representatives are assigned the task of reading a 200 pages book. Do you think everyone will have the same speed, thinking and understanding ability? No, right? Then how can we expect children of the same class or family to be alike? Each one of us is different with distinctive combinations of our vulnerability, strengths, and abilities and has different social, emotional, intellectual needs. There is no such principle as ‘one style fits all’ hence it is vital to understand the needs, characteristics, personality and abilities of each child. For their balanced growth and development don’t use the same yardstick to access every child. Comparing your child with others can be hurtful and instigate jealousy among them. Nurture them to be themselves. Let them learn at their own pace and discover their own path.
