This is obviously a pre-Covid story, when children were going to actual schools.
“Mommy, Teacher told us to write 1 to 30 numbers in the note-book and get checked by parents”. Shreya, the cute Senior KG girl conveyed today’s homework to her mother.
She wrote 1 to 30 numbers in her book accordingly and kept it in her drawer. She had a proud look when her mother gave the “Correct” sign to her work.
“Hey, keep the book in your school bag, teacher may check tomorrow.” Mom said as she saw Shreya keeping the book in the drawer.
“No, teacher is not going to check. That’s why she told to show it to you.”
“How come? Then some kids will not complete the homework and lie to the teacher, isn’t it?” Mom could not hide her suspicion.
“Mommy, this is cheating. We kids don’t cheat teacher like this.”
Shreya was little angry. Mom was fondly looking at Shreya’s sulky expression and suddenly she realized her mistake.
The teacher was trying to teach children ‘Trust and Faith’ through her behavior. She sincerely told children that she was not going to check their homework, but they should get it checked from their parents. Here, Mom unknowingly gave the idea of cheating the teacher when Shreya was not even aware of the possibility.
It was a moment of realization for Mom. Small kids are pure and sincere by default. They cannot even think of lying to others on their own. We, parents and adults are the source. We unknowingly teach them cheating, suspicion etc. This is how Sanskaras – impressions take place actually. This realization can be a step towards Aware Parenting, from my current Suspicious Parenting, Mom thought.
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