U Srinivas mandolin concert @ 8, a British Mensa ace @ 6, well you get the drift don't you ? We all admire child prodigies; as children we were inspired by them and as grown ups we wish our children have or acquire those unique talents that will give them their place in the sun. Not eventually, but as young as they can be.
Children based talent shows are very popular. There are thousands of entries with people queuing up before sunrise, coaxing, punishing, cajoling their wards to ace the contest. If they have to miss regular school so be it. Come summer, parents want their kids to join summer camps and acquire skills which they won't have time for during regular school days. Aero modelling ? Digital animation ? Rock climbing ? You name it, there are dozens of service providers. Every school has glossy brochures to publicise what students of their school have achieved. Just today I saw one mom admonishing her son publicly for scoring about 80 percent in a class 7 maths annual exam.
Is this peer pressure or societal pressure or social media pressure ? What is it ? Surely children aren't expected to earn their living before they are 21 ?! Why this massive ego booster that my son or daughter has done this or that ? When families meet, parents can barely allow listening - they have so much to say about their children. Some say it positively, some compare, some lament but all come away feeling somewhat bitter and jealous.
Watch a spelling bee contest anywhere and you could come away with a severe inferiority complex. We have never heard those words for which the children ask for the French usage.
A class 10 student has written a book at my daughter's school and one of his classmates was marketing it. She said "if you like Harry Potter you will love his book". The price tag for a 150 page book with a liberal line spacing was rs 350. I expressed surprise - ChetanBhagat priced his 5th book sub 150. She gave me a "cool answer" - the author has no role in pricing, it was the publisher who gave the price tag. God bless the youngster !
Child labour under 14 is banned. Wonder if we should stipulate that children below 14 years of age should keep their talents to themselves and spare the children and the parents the anxiety of being successful at the age when they haven't been able to give time to hone their talents. It's great to be young and impatient but it's more important to grow to be mature and successful.
