Are you torturing instead of nurturing your child?

Yes this blog is long but i really think a few extra minutes for your child is a great investment and the returns hopefully would be a better bond between you and your child.

Aparna had collapsed and had to be rushed to hospital in a state of shock. The reason? She was participating in an interschool dance contest and this 14 year old had always won accolades for her performance but unfortunately this time she lost and she just couldn’t accept defeat.
After a few days Aparna was brought to me. A case of severe depression. She just didn’t want to come to terms with her failure.
During the course of therapy, the foremost and the fundamental fear in her mind was not about the failure but about facing the parents and friends post that. She also revealed that sometimes the expectations from her exhausted her.

This is a serious situation and one that needs to be remedied immediately to reduce these attacks of depression in children which is alarmingly on an all time high.

Are we not expecting too much from our kids.. A lot more than they can deliver. We see kids as a perfect way to relive our dreams and aspirations. But is it fair on them? I’m not saying that one mustn’t have expectations from children but does those expectations not have to be in sync with their potential. First and foremost do bear in mind that each child is a separate individual.

The most common causes of anxiety in children , is overexpectation and comparison to siblings, friends etc. Every day Harsh woke up to comparisons to his very intelligent brother. Every time he went out with his father he had to meet with humiliation in front of relatives , friends and sometimes total strangers ,when the father would compare him with his brother who excelled in studies and was very confident.
Unable to bear this humiliation that reached a point where Harsh became a laughing stock, he attempted suicide. When he was brought to me , I frankly told the parents that it is not Harsh but the parents that needed counseling.


It is a competitive field but all have their limitations. We must understand the limitations of our children. One may not essentially be multifarious They may not be good at everything. Putting pressure to achieve something that is way beyond their capacity should be avoided.

What is important as a parent is to understand their qualities , potential, capabilities and limitations and set standards Mere comparisons just for the sake of competitons without realizing could be detrimental for their growth further. You would have unknowingly exhausted their growth.

Most juvenile addicts are victims of severe inferiority complex. Most drug addicts take drugs to get that temporary high just to overcome the complex. Some take drugs that keep them awake to be able to contribute more to studies..Do they have to resort to these potentially dangerous means to achieve grades?

Teaching the children to accept criticism positively is imperative. To use it as a means to grow not as a means to curb growth. They will always be those who criticize. Accept it when you realize theres a point ,try to rectify the areas and if you feel there is nothing wrong accept it as a competitors words . But don’t let statements drop your will to do something. Teaching them to accept criticism positively is imperative. To use it as a means to grow not as a means to curb growth. They will always be those who criticize. Accept it when you realize theres a point ,try to rectify the areas and if you feel there is nothing wrong accept it as a competitors words . But don’t let it drop your will to do something.


I hate it when parents come to me and begin to criticize in front of the children. They take it to heart and believe me some never forget it. Ashok is now a man in his late thirties, but has problems with his father the reason for which goes back in time of two decades when his father was very insulting and humiliated him.Ashok still finds it very difficult to forget it.
Children need respect too. It is very important to understand that. It is appalling when parents have done the damage then come to tell that they have no clue what went wrong.

The same goes for schools. These days the trash behaviour of the schools and the punitive measures adopted are shocking to say the least. Even yesterday the paper carried an article of a girl who suffered a paralytic stroke due to the harsh punishments.
A young kid of seven came to me as he refused to go to school. Frankly after hearing him , I wanted to tell him that its best he never go there again because such a school has nothing worth learning from . This kid was asked to bend his head into the garbage bin in the classroom , for not doing his homework. Another kid was asked to remove his shirt and stand on the bench for the same reason and when the father complained to the school for making the son strip, the school took offense and asked the father for a written apology or threatened to expel the student. The act seemed to be less of a crime compared to the word according to the school.


Where are the ‘Gurukuls’ and ‘Gurujis’?

Times are changing , expectations are changing and so the teaching has to change accordingly. I strongly suggest each teacher to go through atleast the basic child psychology course in order to be able to relate to the child better.All the schools teach children how to deal with bouquets but do they teach them how to deal with brickbats? It should be made a compulsion , as when you leave the world of education and deal with the real world this education will help you as much if not more than your academic qualifications.

Brickbats are an integral part of life. One must know how to tackle it. Though we all love our children to excel in everything they do yet we need to prepare them to deal sportingly with failures. .Learn to accept brickbats the same way we are receptive to accolades.


Do your duty as a parent but then understand your child is an individual in himself/herself. Very often we see schools conducting aptitude tests and suggesting a field. I have seen parents mostly love to hear that the child is good in the field of science. But then I guess aptitude plus passion is very important. There are many avenues for children now. Doctors and engineers are no longer the only fields. Don’t force them , its their life and they have to live with this profession for the rest of their life. Your forcing can only make them end like a bundle of burnt and worn out nerves.

A request to all parents would be to try and spend a few meaningful hours with them. I know these days there is time deficit but you can definitely squeeze in atleast one hour of the 24 hours to just listen … to their words…. Their mind… and their body.. you cannot trade that with materialistic gifts .And remember these days on an average a child spends 8 to 10 hours in education if not more so you don’t have to essentially always talk studies. Get other topics in. Try to understand more about his peer group and his interests. Also try to adopt a friendly approach of dealing with them. Children prefer a friendly approach to an authoritative one. Also they are more honest if you need in a friendly manner.Also very important to let them have sometime to themselves. Don’t bury them with responsilities. Playing is important. I would infact even go to the extent of saying that let him/her go one hour less for his tuitions but let him/her utilize that in playing. The release of that energy is pivotal for their growth . He/She will end up healthier and happier. Mentally, physically and emotionally stable.
We often talk about the hyperactivity syndrome. Children have abundant energy and if there is no outlet for that they will become hyperactive due to sheer frustration. It is their right to play , then do we have the right to usurp their childhood?

If you plan to introduce your child to fields like TV , films , media etc , which make them a public figure, take care to see if they are mentally prepared. .Can the young minds take the fame and popularity in their stride or do they get carried away. We have seen many young lives get ruined because they are unable to accept their fame with profound insight When I went for a shoot recently I saw a mother of a tiny tot pinching him with her nails cause he wasn’t ready to give a shot. Isnt this absolutely inhuman.

The pressure on kids in tremendous. The last few years I have been hearing and witnessing cases of children in the 10th standards( children of approximately 16 years) suffering from cardiac arrests and unfortunately some even succumbing to it. The rise in BP among children and other ailments first associated with elders is alarming. Please take notice. This is a warning. You want to do something, do now. No time to procrastinate in changing your attitude. There is no use crying over spilt milk.

Parents must really take this seriously . More often that not you have the solution but are unable to see it. Inferiority complex, high levels of anxiety, extremely poor health due to exhaustion can all be dealt with , with your help.
In my school there was a rule that the students who failed were given the monitors post. And respected. No one dared to fool around or ridicule them and the results showed that they metamorphosed into successful students.

What is extremely sad is that in this whole process the child is sandwiched between the teachers, parents, expectations and ultimately loses his/her childhood. No time to play , no time to laugh.. We all fondly remember our childhood . Is your child living his life in a way that he will have wonderful memories of childhood or will he live to regret it.
You have the key and the answer to that!!

Love,
Devika