A Perfect Child

There's a lot of pressure right, to be that academically-socially-morally-intellectually perfect child your parents expect you to be?

And it's bound to hurt when you can't give them that version of yourself, but maybe you can't give them that because that version doesn't exist. AND IT DOES'T HAVE TO!

How could anyone be there for everyone all the time while also thriving in their own personal life and excelling in every single thing? I love parents, they're the most adorable thing in the world - the pillow to fall back on, the role models to look upto, the friends you need when you don't have 'friends'. But when their expectations start to make their children suffocate, thats when it's a high time to take a step back and let the children take control of the flight of life.

Guys, don't strive to be perfect, strive to be your authentic self. Being perfect will get you in the race but it won't win you the race.

 Parents, of course you want your children to excel academically and thrive financially and marry a decent partner and have kids at a certain age and most importantly to see them 'happy', but don't you think the child is more worried about his own life than you are? The child wants to be happy too, but at what cost? This generation works differently, of course, there comes a time when you need to walk with it, when you need to be more of a friend to your children than their parents. 

Naina would've never found her bunny if she had listened to her parents and not gone on that trip to Manali. Today Ayesha would be thriving in her own business if her parents Kamal and Neelam let their societal norms take a back seat. Rahul would've had to let go of his love for Anjali if he prioritized his family's reputation over her. Aur aaj toh Piya ke bhaiya bhi zinda hote, agar virus ne ek baar keh diya hota ki nahi hoti engineering toh chod de!

Its absolutely alright to let go of what people will think and let your kid be their authentic self, if he's into boys, if he wants to pursue photography, if she doesn't want to get married or if she wants to be racer. Simran ko uski zindagi jeene do.

Your kid doesn't need the world to validate her actions, at the end of the day what matters is that you support her with a smile on your face.One request- try to understand where your kid is coming from, what they really want, sit and have a conversation instead of threatening them with your life or emotionally blackmailing them. Don't impose your dreams on them, make their dreams your dreams.

Instead of being a 'I can't tell my parents, they won't understand' parent, be a 'I need to tell my parents, they'll know what to do' parent. 

In a world of Nandkishore Awasthis', be a Phil Dunphy.

By- Rutuja Pathare