1. I will always love and respect my child for who she is and not who I want her to be.

2. I will give my child space-to grow, to dream, to succeed and even sometimes to fail.

3. I will create a loving home environment and show my child that she is loved, whenever and however I can.

4. I will, when discipline is necessary, let my child know that I disapprove of what she does, not who she is.

5. I will set limits for my child and help her find security in the knowledge of what is expected of her.

6. I will make time for my child and cherish our moments together, realizing how important-and fleeting-they are.

7. I will not burden my child with emotions and problems she is not equipped to deal with, remembering that I am the parent and she is the child.

8. I will encourage my child to experience the world and all it’s possibilities, guiding her in it’s ways and taking pains to leave her careful but not fearful.

9. I will take care of myself physically and emotionally, so that I can be there for my child when she needs me.

10. I will try to be the kind of person I want my child to grow up to be-loving, fair minded, moral, giving, and hopeful.

Watch this touching video clip given above which shows a conversation between a father and son.

This Greek short film (with English subtitle) was made in 2007.

Father and son are sitting on a bench. Suddenly a sparrow lands across them. The old Father asks son, “What is that?” to which the son replies “A Sparrow” and looks back into his newspaper. After sometime his father again asks him “What is that”. A little annoyed, son replies “I just told you father, its a sparrow”.

Then, the sparrow flies to the other side and sits there. The father repeats his question “what is that?”. This time, son replies “A sparrow father, a sparrow…s-p-a-r-r-o-w……” and when again the father repeats his question, son is filled with anger and says “Why are you doing this Father? How many times I told you its a sparrow!!!”

Father gets up and goes into the house to take his old dairy. He comes back and asks his son to read a passage from the dairy, which goes like this “Today my youngest son, who a few days ago turned three, was sitting with me at the park when a sparrow sat in front of us. My son asked me 21 times what it was and I answered all 21 times that it was a sparrow. I hugged him every single time he asked me the same question again and again without getting mad, feeling affection for my innocent little boy.”

This is really a good video. I couldn’t help crying after watching it. Really meaningful, if only people of today could learn of the patience of this loving father. Its sad to think that often we are so succumbed to impulse like the son in this video.

A simple, yet very meaningful, with the message very clearly put forward. Check this out….

Have you ever watched your parents while they were asleep?

Your father’s body, once big and strong but now, the big is withered and the strong is weaker. Wisps of grey peak out from his hair, wrinkles now scar his forehead and face. This man works hard everyday and would sacrifice anything to make sure his family is provided for and his children get the best education possible.

Or how about your mother, whose soft hands once cuddled and held you close when you were a baby? Now those hands are dry and rough, bearing evidence of the challenges she faced just for us. This woman takes care of our daily needs, constantly nagging and scolding us because of her love for us. But sadly, we often misconstrue her love as control and unfairness.

I have never thought of watching my parents while they slept. I’ve watched my cousins sleep when they were babies, all round and cuddly and sweet smelling. But watch my parents? No way!

But after reading this message, I realised that there was indeed much truth in it. In fact, my parents do not have to be asleep for me to realise that they have aged.

Just looking at my mother walk tells me that her legs are not as strong as they were before. Or hearing her ask me for help with that flowerpot in the garden, the one she used to be able to push and drag around the garden without my help.

Or watching my dad lift a 10kg bag of rice, I can easily carry that bag now. I am young. But to him, it is a struggle.

What do all these observations tell me?

Yes, my parents have aged. They are ageing, just as I am ageing. But as I age towards my best years and become stronger, they in turn are becoming weaker. They were once the caregivers and I the receiver. In time, I know our roles will reverse. Like it or not, want it to or not, this is life.

I suppose I have always subconsciously thought that my parents would always be with me, never growing old. It took that message to make me realise that my parents are not immortal. That they, too,  will one day leave the world and me. Until then, I will make good use of our time together.

By the way, I’m forwarding that message to all my family and friends to remind them to appreciate what they have now. It will not last forever.

- – - written by Shakunthala Devi

Shakuntala Devi is generally known as a ‘Human Computer’ because of her extraordinary talents in solving complex mathematical problems without any mechanical aid. She also found her place in the Guinness book of records as a result of her extraordinary talents. She was born in 1939 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India.