Very thought provoking article. It certainly is an eye opener to those parents, who exert pressure on their offspring to achieve excellence. Such parents least bother, how it acts on the minds of the tender minds.Parents, unless they accept their children as children, parenting will prove to be counter productive. Parenting is not about making their children mere Robots.

Support and make them comfortable and make the children confident so that they become self confident. This confidence goes a long way in future to achieve lofty heights.

True...it is quite evident that parents, in their mindless desire to achieve one up on the other kids, forget that their children are humans too and turn their kids into robotic machines.

I had come across with many examples, where the parents force their children in achieving unrealistic targets, thereby  subjecting their children to immense pressure. Some children unable to withstand the pressure either run away from homes or become rebels.

Weakness in parents character comes out in students behaviour and personality. Comparing with other children is a sure way of inducing hostility in one's children towards a host of emotional feelings. But in this particular case the Indians who run away from India to settle in foreign countries want to excel there through their children. Most of the immigrants had either an inferiority complex or a few had a superiority complex when they rejected their motherland to settle abroasd. It then comes out on the children.

Going and settling in foreign countries for better opportunities in living, financial gains and better education system is not wrong. The main reason  is parent's bent of mind. Many are of the wrong impression that intimidating, pressurizing and other negative practices will help in shaping the child bright and intelligent. This is anything but truth. The age old belief "Dandam Dasa Gunam Bhavate" that is punishing the child  will yield Ten positive results should be stopped.

There have been many debates about this and I recently saw a discussion on an Arab channel Al zaeeera where educationists shared different view points. Chinese beat Indians in this because they are extremely competitive and in their bid to become world leaders they leave no stone unturned and believe in starting young. the children are mentally tortured and terrorised as seen in some videos that are there on youtube . I guess Indians are going to same way..Personally I feel that the more relaxed the home and school atmosphere is the better students perform and become better individuals. Afterall a complete personality is not just about getting top marks and knowing your grammar and spelling. From what I have seen most f the students who get ranks in SSLC and Pre University are way down when it comes to competitive exams where common sense and intelligence is far more important than mere mugging..I always advise my students to take part in everything possible that interests them , be it debating, dramatics,music or whatever takes their fancy rather than limit themselves just to studies and study relate topics and interests !

In short it is views that accept our kids what they are and never tried to make what other kids are.

I can recall an incident that happened in a family known to me. The parents, in order to see their their only child,as a topper in academics, always used to pressurize him in several ways., comparing their child with other children who are better in their academics has become a routine affair. This negative approach  made the child, a mental wreck over a period.. The child, had developed a fierce jealousy on the other children with whom he had been compared.  One day, in the playground, he had pierced the eyes of the other child with his sharpened pencil. It was only then the parents realized the ill effects of comparing the children with the other children. But it was too late. The damage has been done. 

The pressures of competition are very intensive and no one wants to lose the race. Those who can withstand it do good those that can not do not so good.

vijay wrote:

The pressures of competition are very intensive and no one wants to lose the race. Those who can withstand it do good those that can not do not so good.

True...maybe ! But is it really necessary or vital to put the kids up to such fierce competition at such tender young age. Isn't it more necessary to focus on making them more sensitive and responsible instead of just scoring marks?