It is that time of the year when the young kids and their parents will have to bear the extreme pressure of unrealistic expectations and dreams. Our conditioning to believe that good marks promise a great life is not only faulty but also turning dangerous for our kids.
With increasing students committing suicide or undergoing mental illness due to this unrealistic pressure of achieving good marks. It is more important than ever that we, parents ease off the stress from our kids. Because, in the end, it’s not the marks that matter, it is a life of health, happiness, and prosperity.
This is why when the principal of International Indian School, Saudi Arabia, issued a letter to all parents whose kids will be appearing for their board exams this year, we felt it was a great step in the right direction. As per Hindustan Times, this letter requested parents to calm down a little and to stop putting kids under pressure.
Here’s what the letter read:
“Dear parents,
The Board Exams of your children are to start soon. I know you are very anxious for your child to do well.
But please, do remember, amongst the students who will be sitting for the exams, there is an artist who doesn’t need to understand Math.
There is an entrepreneur who doesn’t care about History or English Literature.
There is a musician whose Chemistry marks won’t matter.
There is an athlete whose physical fitness is more important than physics.
If your child does get top marks, that’s great! But if he or she doesn’t, please don’t take away their self-confidence and dignity from them. Tell them it’s OK, it’s just an exam! They are cut out for much bigger things in life. Tell them, no matter what they score, you love them and will not judge them.
Please do this, and when you do, watch your children conquer the world. One exam or low marks won’t take away their dreams and talent. And please do not think that doctor’s and engineers are the only happy people in the world.”
There are so many incidents where students afflict self-harm because they are scared of their parents being disappointed. Students shouldn’t feel that unsatisfactory marks are the end of the world. It is important for parents and teachers to make the younger generations unlearn this idea and give them scope to pursue whatever they wish.”
Image: Facebook
Here’s how people reacted to this letter:
We need to remember that our kids are ‘humans’ with their own desires, dreams, aspirations, and potential. And, we can’t be projecting our unfulfilled dreams on our child. We need to stop forcing our child to do something which we couldn’t achieve. She/he is not a tool to fulfill our unaccomplished aspirations and desires. They are different.
Let them carve their own path. Let them pursue their own dreams. And, let them know that irrespective of what they achieve or not achieve, you would love them anyway. And, whenever things will go wrong, you will always be standing right behind them. You’ll always have their back!
