To all my TEACHERS.. including my Daughter..

As humans, we all do some work and contribute to the society in some or the other manner. But, if we look at our lives - we realize that our learning enables us to do so. Certain people are designated to make & help us learn - and they are our teacher - who heavily impact the shaping of our lives. I have never known a famous person - who doesn't acknowledge his teacher to the making of his life. That's the reason we celebrate 'Teachers Day'. Today, on teachers day - in 66 years old - independent India - I express my gratitudes to all my teachers for helping me become what I am today.

As a child, I also remember reading stories and learning lessons from them. I also remember being told that we can and have to learn from everyone and everything around - like hard-work from ants, politeness from a loaded-tree, the quality of not being influenced by wrongs around from a sandalwood tree (who has snakes living on it) etc. - Hence, everyone and everything that we encounter does contribute to our learning. However, teachers are the greatest enablers of it - Thats the reason why St. Kabir said, "Guru Govind dou khade ... ". Further - acknowledging contributions - I also want to extend this gratitude to everyone (I know) who has contributed to my learning and growth in some manner.

Further - focusing on my recent learnings -

A mother is said to be the first teacher to a child - and the child is the greatest teacher of a human-being.

Probably, thats the reason why the child is said to be the father of the man. Recently, I noticed a book titled 'Raising a Father' written by one of the IIT alumni. My immediate opinion on the title - with knowing nothing about the book - was that it must be related to the growth of an individual - as a human being - after becoming the father. And it immediately made me recollect a lots of stories as mother of a three years old daughter. I would like to share my learnings about my awareness of certain human characteristics, emotions and situations with you all.

Last year my daughter has started to go to play-school. She was friendly with all her friends, except-one. Daily she used to cry about being hit/beaten by this 'one' chap. - HELPLESSNESS.
Slowly over-time they became friends. - ADAPTION.
This year she is in nursery. Again, she has a chap 'two' to cry about. - THE CYCLIC NATURE | REPETITION.
I can't tell her to hit him back. I tell her to protect herself - which again, I know, may not work. - VALUES | MORALS.
I told her to call teachers in such situation, but 'two' is usually done with his agenda by then. - PRESENCE OF MIND | SPEED.
So, I utilize the situation in my favour by motivating her to eat lots of fruits and vegetables and to cooperate while I do her massage - so that she can become strong and nobody can hit her then. - OPPORTUNITY.
I also gave her some over-confidence by saying, "if you become strong you can blow the other person out" (based on some animation that she was watching). - BOOSTING-SELF | IMAGINATION | CREATIVITY.
She completed me by saying, "I will become so strong that I will blow 'two' over the clouds and in the rainbow" - very strong imagination, I thought. - BELIEVING | COMPLETION | IMAGINATION | CREATIVITY.

Further - one day in the class - she was taught that there are twelve months in a year.

She is born on 10th of May and '10' is her favorite number so she rounded '12' off to '10'. - CORRELATING | REACHING NEAREST POINT.
Then she told her father, "There are '10' month in your ear" - pointing to his ear - probably, as 'EAR' is more known to her as compared to 'YEAR'. - PERCEPTION | CONTEXT.

We used to watch a TV serial - with 'Dr. Ashutosh', named as main character.

One day while watching photographs of her birth, she asked me, "Mamma, did Dr. Ashutosh, help you getting me out?" - MEMORY | CONNECTING THE DOTS.

Khushi's creations on iPad..

One day she felt that she has grown up a lot, and she told me that she would go to the school alone. I allowed her, by going in parallel to give her the lunch box in school. But, to her, she went alone. - INDEPENDENCE | IGNORANCE | SUPPORT.

"India-rice", as she calls it.. :)

I also noticed the feeling of SCARCITY towards play area in rainy season, when she can't be outdoors much.

I also have this interesting observation when a few kids play alone (being INDIVIDUAL) and a few, like my daughter, play in groups (being SOCIAL).

Recently, in a birthday party she experienced snow-spray. That she remembered every-time she met the father of her friend - probably as an expression of gratitude of that experience. So, once he said, I will get the cake and all that your you as well to celebrate your birthday. And my daughter said, "No! my mumma, papa will get it for me". - SELF | SELF-RESPECT.

Until, she started wearing some of the fancy lanhaga (Indian ethnic-wear) frequently - probably, she was accepting her limits, seeing me and others wearing it at times. I noticed it when she told me, "Mumma, I will take all your stuff when I grow up". I noticed GREED | PRAISE | ROLE-MODEL.

Long back, after she learnt to walk and eat by herself - I was frying some of the dry-fruits for her with salt and sugar - that she can munch - I felt TRUE-SATISFACTION - when she came to the kitchen and picked it by herself and did it multiple times.

She loves 'clean-up' song and if she is in good mood, she puts her things exactly in same place they were picked from. - BEING SYSTEMATIC | ORGANIZATION.

Many-times we have to go to her dream world of stories and fairies do do things with/for her. - COMING TO COMMON-MINIMUM.

Many-times one does feel helpless with kids, still one cares - is called UNCONDITIONAL LOVE | SEEING POSITIVES | HAVING NO EXPECTATION | LAW OF KARMA.

And more such moments and learnings - I am sure that similar is experienced by most of us, which unconsciously contributes to our learning and growth - that's why a child is called as the father of the (wo)man.