Thoughts, reminiscences and more..: Little hearts

My mum always says – “Nanha sa dil hai, zor se dhadakta hoga”. (Kids have a tiny heart. When they get hurt, emotionally or physically, the heart must be beating so fast).

Whenever I see my 6 year old son doing something I wouldn't want him to, I remember mum’s words. A normal 6 feet wooden door is like a giant gate for him. He has to use his full force to push it open. A community park with one sand pit and a couple of small swings, is a big playground for him. A bus is a wonder for him, the tires are like big tractor wheels. The different time zones are amusing for him.

“How can Australia be sleeping when its day time for us?” “The world is round, and we still do not fall?”

Today morning saw him playing with a stick (he is a stick collector, all sizes and shapes. I have a corner in my house dedicated to sticks, a feet to 4 feet long). He had placed it on the wooden floor, almost digging it in, and rotating it continuously. I was getting late for work, and he was getting late for school. But all he wanted to do is tell me something he was keenly observing looking at the shadow of the stick. I was getting agitated – getting late and worrying about the floor – not a good combination. But I listened to him (remembered mum’s words J )

“Mom, look at the shadow, its twirling and whirling smoke making its way to the sky, arising from a bakery’s chimney. I can tell from the aroma that the baker is baking yummy cinnamon buns.”

For a minute I was awestruck. His innocent imagination overpowered my worries, and I hugged him and smiled. He was a happy boy. This is how the kids think. Their imagination runs wild. All they ask for is love, patience, and compassion.

I would definitely add a few words about bullying. My son faces it, almost every day. The stronger kids in his class laugh on him, naming the things he cannot do – cartwheels, football goals, run as fast; things he doesn't know – superhero stories, movie characters; places he has not been to – Disneyland, Legoland, USA. The list is endless. But he knows how to handle them, he is strong at his words, he communicates well, and knows how to deal with this kind of bullying behavior.

But he does feel sad, very sad, and feels low about himself. I thought of helping him. I introduced him to Justin Beiber’s song – “Never say never”, and now it’s his favorite. I asked him to relate with it. And then I asked him to list down all the things he can do, all the things he knows about, and all the places he has been to. Trust me; he filled a full sheet with those. I was a happy mum, and he was happy boy, tapping his foot on the "Happy" song.

Today over a 1000 voices raise compassionate awareness on the topic of bullying. Building From Bullying… finding positive ways to inform, enlighten, and change. I am not knowledgeable enough to write about bullying, which was this month’s topic of discussion. Instead I wrote about compassion towards our children.