A dear friend’s daughter left for Australia today to pursue higher studies. I do not know about the friend but somehow it is making me extremely emotional. I of course know the kid, but I am not even remotely close. We have hardly interacted. Yet it is making me emotional. She is still in transit, and I cannot stop myself from thinking about her, how she will manage everything, how she will cope up in a new country, and a new environment. She is a confident girl, and I know that she would be able to manage everything well. Then, why am I freaking out?
Or is it that I am thinking about MY little one? One day she would also step out of the house to explore the world. We have been over-protective, and I know that day I would be crying buckets and shitting bricks!
Am I thinking all of that in my subconscious mind? May be.
I do understand that eventually everyone has to find their own path. There is no escaping that truth. Growing up, I lived largely in a cocoon-like environment of military cantonments - with structured lives, protected spaces. When I finally stepped out into the real world, I was not ready. I struggled. A lot. But I survived. I adapted. I settled down.
So logically, there is no reason why today’s kids - despite their carelessness, indiscipline, lack of life skills (wait… I seem to have accidentally switched on my Typical Dad Mode) - will not manage the challenges that come their way. In fact, they probably have far more exposure, confidence, and resilience than we ever did.
But I am scared. And I dread that day.
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