Sunday, July 1, 2012

The Pioneer - Dilli Billi -July.1st.2012 - "NO CHILD'S PLAY ANYMORE"

"NO CHILD'S PLAY ANYMORE"

Toddlers who attend play school with bodyguards or ayahs find it almost impossible to lead normal lives, mix with other children and enjoy simple pleasures of life.

When I was growing up in the hills, life was very simple. It carried on at a low pace, there was no rush of any sort. I can’t remember my parents trying to make a show of things. In fact, everything was understated and simplicity was the key.

Back home in Delhi, things are different. Though it is fun to watch two-year-olds with their mothers attend the start of the play schools once again, it a torture for the toddlers. Added to this is the plethora of bodyguards and maids two accompany these children. But this era is no called kalyug just like that. It’s a scary scenario. During our time, there was no such thing as an ayah accompanying the child to school however rich the family was.

I don’t object to rich displaying their money or a powerful displaying their power or the upward mobile displaying their ambition. What I do object is the way the children and their mothers get swayed away the show of power by the other people. My question is whether it is really necessary for this show of wealth to travel to schools?

I believe that this kind of display is definitely not good for the child. The prison like surrounding will ensure that he never learns to be independent or feel secure unless he has at least two henchmen with him. And if this is not enough, the maids or nannies are always at the back and call of the child with a napkin, a sanitiser and special bottled water.

It’s actually very comical to see this action unfold around the two-year-olds. Though it may be due to necessity, the truth is that it makes it impossible for the child concerned to lead a normal life or mix with other toddlers. It is sad that the child is never allowed to dirty his clothes or play with other children or even pick up his own hanky or even drink water on his own.

The mothers are no different. Dressed in branded clothes, carrying Louis Vuitton handbags and blow-dried hair, these women look as if they have just stepped off the ramp. It’s funny at the the way they look at each, sizing the other and deciding whether they should go and and strike a conversation. The car one travels in is noticed, the chauffeur's uniform is noticed and the address makes a difference.

I wonder if all this makes the children anxious and fear the unknown. Does this have a negative impact on the child? Today, stress is a major contributor to many problems. The children are smart today. They can pick even the slightest change in attitude. And they realise that they are in competition with other children.

Birthday parties have become a huge affair. Magic shows are organised at the best hotels in the Capital. The age old games like hide and seek and ringa ringa roses hold no attraction. The pleasure of having a simple birthday party has vanished.

I may be old fashioned but the truth is that there was real pleasure in home-baked cakes and a party on the terrace. A book or a stuffed toy was enough to keep us smiling for days.

Today, even the latest gadget fails to keep the youngsters entertained for more than two hours. It is unfortunate that the younger generation will never understand the pleasures of simplicity.

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