Trains v/s Planes- A Dilemma with Kids

Over this weekend, I got to know what it feels like, to be a regular business traveller. Samhith and I spent the weekend at Chennai with my sister-in-law, Sandhya, attending a function at her place.  We went by train, leaving Bombay on friday evening, and returned by a night flight on Sunday, as Samhith had to attend school today (Monday). Whew! Were we tired! 

Of course, the trip was worth it, because we had a blast ! Shankar’s family was all there, as well as friends and relatives, many of whom we didn’t remember…The function, a puja to Lord Ayyappa, went off very well.We all enjoyed it. I esecially loved the decoration (ook out for photos ..I shall upload them soon….) Samhith enjoyed the bhajan, and even sang one song !

But this post is not about the function. This is about the journey……..

As I mentioned earlier, we went by train, and were lucky to get a good group of co-passengers, mostly 25 year-olds going back home after a conference in Bombay. Samhith made friends rather too fast, and thankfully, they diidnt resent it, and played with him, all through the journey, letting him listen to music on their mobiles, and showing him videos on their laptop… but even after all that, he was really tired and fed up with travelling, and wanted to get off the train… This, in spite of going in a Third AC Coach this time ! I have always enjoyed train journeys and want him to do the same, so I take along loads of books, and play some games with him almost all the time, but somehow he stil doesnt enjoy it. God alone knows how i can make him enjoy train travel a lot more…..

While returing by air, he was quite happy……..after all, it is only  a couple of hours……   and he asked me why we hadnt flown to Chennai too…. I tried to explain  that we travel by air only when it is necessary, and that train travel itself is part of the holiday we are taking, but I dont think he was convinced…… Anyway, now he feels that it is perfectly possible to go to Chennai for the weekend, and asks me why we can’t do it every weekend….

Explaining  financial constraints to children is never easy, but important, and a task that I have to perform some time or the other.  But I still dont know how to g about it….. We shall be travelling again, by train , during our summer holiday, and am already planning out activities to do while we are sitting indoors for 12 to 24 hours at a stretch… Hope this time around, I have more luck, and actually succeed in making him look forward to a train journey………. 

All you young moms out there, Please do suggest some games or activities to keep  a 5 year old busy in trains…….

Incidentally, here is another thing I have noticed….. Samhith seems happier in the II Class compartment when we are travelling more than 20 hours in the train…. Maybe because he can look outside, buy things from the vendors who swarm around at every station, and in general interact with a lot more people, than he can in an AC coach.

Now, is this something I have imagined, or is is something you too face ? I ask this of  all of you, as my husband doent agree… He says that the II Class is too noisy and dirty, and there is to much dirt… Samhith can’t possibly enjoy it… He says I am imagining things, and now refuses to book in II Class, unless of course, nothing else is available.. Please do get back to me with your ideas………..

A Mother’s Worries

I read an interesting blog the other day, about instilling values about money, and finance in general in kids..http://jezziemapuche.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/how-to-raise-a-financially-savvy-child/

As a mother of a four year old, I am constantly trying to instill the right values in him at an early age, and the world around us scares me all the time..

Just two days back, my cousin visited me. She is a first year medical student, and we got into an argument regarding the proposed compulsory one year rural internship. It has been apparent from the newspapers that the move has been opposed strongly by students all over India, but I was shocked when she also supported the popular view that rural training wasn’t necessary and important, as it wouldn’t bring in any money…..It all boils down to money finally… She was actually under the impression that rural service meant working in slums… No matter what I said, she wouldn’t  agree that there was a world of difference between a village and a slum. That’s when I realised that most of the youngsters today, born and brought up in metros, haven’t seen a village in their lives.. They don’t really know what the real India is like, deep in the heart of villages…That most of India doesn’t live in cities, but in the villages, is only a textbook concept to them.

Again, all that the current generation cares about is MONEY. They all want to study in a field which will get them a job as soon as possible, a job which will pay them 5 figures to begin with. As soon as they get  a job, they want to buy a car, and then a house, go abroad, and the get married. All this, before they are 25. And parents don’t seem to mind either…Of course,who listens to parents anyway !

On one hand, we have people who have given up good jobs abroad, and are working in slums and villages, trying to help people lead a better life, like some of the Times of India Lead India finalists, and on the other hand, we have a majority of the youth running after materialistic things…. We need far more of the former to actually make a difference….’

Which brings me back to my main area of concern… My child… I sincerely hope he grows up to be a good human being, trying to help other people, and I am trying my best to make him so…..

Taking a leaf from Sudha Murthy whom I admire, I make him give clothes and toys he has outgrown to our maid, who has a child of his age. It helps that I live with my in-laws, who are extremely generous by nature, and provide food, clothing , and books to  the needy year after year. It also helps that my husband and father-in-law are involved in voluntary service activities in villages near Mumbai under the aegis of the Sathya Sai Organisation….. I try my best to expose him to all these activities as much as possible, and yet,  I am worried.

Maybe I am just a mother, who worries all the time, but when I open the paper in the morning and read about rapes, suicides, and shootings by students, it worries me.. I am trying my best, and I only hope that the one up there stands by me.

I am sure there are many other mothers like me out there. I would like to hear from all of you….

Who needs to learn ? Children or Parents?

I attended my son’s sports day yesterday, and what really stood out was the difference between the parents and the children.

The children were so well behaved, marching with exhuberance, participating in all sports with enthusiasm, not minding whether they won or lost, accepting both with a smile…. being courteous to all…… helping teachers when needed,  cheering on when the others were participating….. I was  truly happy with my choice of school for my son….. the teachers were teaching the kids just what I wanted them to learn….

And then, there were the parents…..exhilarant, no doubt at seeing the success of their loved ones, but noisy, and uncaring about the others, who were there for the same purpose…… People stood up in their places, not caring that they were obstucting someone’s view, they took pictures incessantly, never mind that the invite clearly requested parents not to take pictures- photographs and videos would be taken and given later to them, by the school. There is nothing more irritating than seeing a parent run on to the field to take a photograph, and nothing more distracting than a parent talking loudly on a cellphone while we are dying to know who will be awarded the best sportsperson trophy this year…..

I wonder why parents behave like this. Every year, the school authorities make it a point to emphasize that they like to statr things on time, yet, some people are always late. The teachers reprimand parents for coming near the stage or track and taking photographs, yet people continue to do so…..If parents set examples like this, what can we expect from the children ?As of now, the children do listen to their teachers, but if they keep seeing their parents not caring about what the school authorities say,what will be the situation ?