Positivity

Today, on my way back home from work, I had an interesting conversation with my colleague Gayatri (who was kind enough to offer me a ride home in her BMW).

She was telling me of the dialogue she had with her 5-year old son a few days ago. Her son, probably the youngest of the children in the colony, came to her in a fit of anger. He was being bullied by another kid; justifiably, Tarun was venting his feelings to his mother.

“Ma, I don’t like Nikhil. He pushed me to the ground today, did not let me bat and also made fun of me. Tomorrow, you give me a sharp knife and I will go and kill him." Now, let us not get into a discussion of how television and movies have created a bad impact on kids and blah! One, I don’t believe in that statement and two, that is not the point of this post.

Gone are the days when the mother would scold or beat her child to knock some sense and discipline into his/her head. (Russell Peters might disagree, as he advocates parents beating their kids to prevent them from being social outcasts; but this too, is not important here.) What amazed me was the way Gayatri chose to handle this situation.

It would have been very easy for her to rebuke her child and get angry with him for speaking in the manner he did. But she chose to sidestep the matter for a short while. Having fed him dinner and finishing her motherly chores, she broached the topic again at bedtime. She then gave him an evil idea, which only an ingenious mother could have thought of.

“Tarun, forget the knife and killing Nikhil. I’ll give you a better idea. Tomorrow, you complain to Nikhil’s mother and tell her how he is troubling you. She will then get angry with him and hide all his toys. I am sure he will feel sorry and next time he will behave better with you,” she told him.

Oh, the joy on the child’s face - priceless! And the idea, a masterstroke!

My reinforcement: A positive approach and a positive mindset will have far reaching effects on one’s life. We can always find a well-disposed and innovative solution to all issues in life. The important thing is to look for it!