Have you seen kids or their parents or you shouting on seeing a kid near a fire or some other dangerous place? Am sure most of us would have. I saw a totally opposite kid and his parents today.
I was having my usual dose of chai at K K, while returning back from work. There are some labourers who live on that footpath. As I was finishing my tea, I saw one of those ladies talking to the chaiwala. And after some time, I saw her sitting there with a kid in her lap. The kid must been 4-5 years old. She stood up and went to get something. The kid’s dad was busy scraping the vessel in which they must have cooked their food. The kid was then on the floor when I saw his hand moving towards the chulha. I just stopped having the tea and was looking at what the kid was about to do. I was afraid he would burn his hands. He wasn’t stopping. The mother was still searching for something and the daddy was still scraping. The kid was right in front of him, but he was totally engrossed in the scraping activity. Finally I saw the mother turn and expected to hear a shrill sound or the name of the kid being called out. But to my surprise, she was as relaxed as the daddy. It wasn’t that she didn’t see the kid moving his hand towards the chulha. By then the kid had almost held the paper that was in the chulha. As he drew it out of it, I could see the red hot corner of the paper, trying to breathe in the available oxygen.
He boldly caught the paper and threw it the other way round and with a blow of air from his mouth he set the fire in place. Mummy and daddy had become ready to enjoy the heat of it with the kid. And as they felt the warm air, I kept looking at the three of them. What was it that made the kid, a 4-5 year old, so fearless? What was it that made the daddy and mummy so fearless? What was it that made them experience things without any fear? Why don’t we experience the same fearlessness? Maybe some of us do, but shouldn’t it be common? I don’t have answers to all these questions.
I was having my usual dose of chai at K K, while returning back from work. There are some labourers who live on that footpath. As I was finishing my tea, I saw one of those ladies talking to the chaiwala. And after some time, I saw her sitting there with a kid in her lap. The kid must been 4-5 years old. She stood up and went to get something. The kid’s dad was busy scraping the vessel in which they must have cooked their food. The kid was then on the floor when I saw his hand moving towards the chulha. I just stopped having the tea and was looking at what the kid was about to do. I was afraid he would burn his hands. He wasn’t stopping. The mother was still searching for something and the daddy was still scraping. The kid was right in front of him, but he was totally engrossed in the scraping activity. Finally I saw the mother turn and expected to hear a shrill sound or the name of the kid being called out. But to my surprise, she was as relaxed as the daddy. It wasn’t that she didn’t see the kid moving his hand towards the chulha. By then the kid had almost held the paper that was in the chulha. As he drew it out of it, I could see the red hot corner of the paper, trying to breathe in the available oxygen.
He boldly caught the paper and threw it the other way round and with a blow of air from his mouth he set the fire in place. Mummy and daddy had become ready to enjoy the heat of it with the kid. And as they felt the warm air, I kept looking at the three of them. What was it that made the kid, a 4-5 year old, so fearless? What was it that made the daddy and mummy so fearless? What was it that made them experience things without any fear? Why don’t we experience the same fearlessness? Maybe some of us do, but shouldn’t it be common? I don’t have answers to all these questions.
4 comments:
Not an answer to your question, but this guy thinks letting them get involved in 'dangerous' things can be very rewarding. Watch it sometime.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/gever_tulley_on_5_dangerous_things_for_kids.html
there are several theories on child rearing varying from "tough love" to oversheltering the child. though i wonder how much it matters....age old debate - nature v/s nuture. again, not a direct answer to your question but attributes like fearlessness are as much innate as much acquired.
Btw, what is KK?
Apu, will check the video.
N, don't get the last part - 'attributes like fearlessness are as much innate as much acquired' Are you saying he must have learnt it partly and acquired it from the parents partly? Don't really know.
I think it could be his parents' way of teaching him or preparing him for the days he is probably going to see soon...as he will lose his childhood in the struggle for survival.
Maybe it isn't fearlessness. Maybe this child has already got burnt before and knows how not to. Maybe he now does this often and the parents know that he knows how to take care of himself.
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