One of the major challenges of parenting urban kids today is that they are spoilt for choices...they seem to get too much of material comfort by default...and so get very little opportunity to experience the 'true value' of things. This often alienates them from the stark realities of life. Government school children in India represent the most deprived sections of our population...they are the ones who really need our support and guidance in whatever way possible.
Parents today need to strike a conscious balance between what is good for such children and what they can afford materially for them. The concept of 'deserving' needs to be also inculcated at a young age in order to prevent alienation from life's realities to set in.
A good and practical way to do this is the learning-by-doing approach...taking children on visits to places where they see, experience and learn how fortunate they are in terms of the opportunities that are there for them. When a street kid comes over to our car window begging for food or pleading to sell a book, we need to talk to our children and explain what this is all about. It is also a good idea to 'do good' simultaneously while talking to our children. Carrying some eatables in the car often comes handy...these can be easily passed on to the child at the window every now and then. Old clothes can also help us 'reach out' in such situations.
Children learn best through 'live examples.' So, never waste an opportunity to send an everlasting message to your child.
Doing good to society and planting a 'seed' in your child's heart and mind can go hand in hand. Always be open and alert about such opoortunities to give life's gifts' to your children, kids in the neighbourhood and elsewhere too.
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