As a Mother, Independence day

Yesterday It was 15th August, Independence day.

Like any other day the alarm woke me up after 5am & much earler than quarter past 5 I was up, stretched myself & walked outside to the small balcony of our bedroom. It was slightly cloudy sky, lots of light coming out of the clouds , beautiful morning, devotional silence. Unlike everyday I saw there was much less movement of vehicles on the road. Oh! I realised it is a National Festival, holiday. Most of the Indians will like to sleep a little later than their routine.

I came back inside saw my husband he was too sleeping comfortably, I did not feel like disturbing him. I strolled a little more in my house and entered the children's room. Both of them were curled had reduced their surface area to much less compared to what they were trying to capture on their bed last night before sleeping. They too were enjoying the sweetest sleep moments. I stood their for a few seconds, captured the beatiful sight of my own creations, lightly covered them with nursery printed sheets and felt the same warmth which perhaps they must have felt inside the sheet.

Meanwhile the Standby alarm called me with a lot of noise. I walked with fast steps to stop it as this would have woke up all three of them. Everyday this is the actual ALARM which alarms the family that rush, get ready, run to your destinations or else miss the school bus & get late for work. But to my surprise none of the three buzzed even slightly. I smiled that before sleeping they must have told themselves about the National HOLIDAY!, Independence Day.

I walked down the steps as i knew that it was almost the housemaid's time to reach. But as I prepared the breakfast in the kitchen, I looked at the watch and it had ticked to tell me that today the maid is much late than her routine time. I wondered that perhaps she has also realised the importance of National HOLIDAY!

I had to reach office as all had decided a small celebration. Children also had school. All schools have Flag hoisting, small celebrations & sweet distribution.

With fast steps I walked up the stairs, woke both my children & then asked the elder one to wake his father. It was that time he told me that they are not going to school, there is nothing going to happen. They would prefer to stay back home.

I promptly wished HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to each one of them & asked children to wish each other as well. They wanted to sleep more I had a Very Firm NO!

If no school then get ready soon & watch the Independence day celebrations on the television. Go outside wish all neighbours, your friends. Perhaps It was not what they had decided. I was getting too much between their National HOLIDAY!

Well I have to get ready & move to office.

By the time maid had also arrived announcing that it was a holiday so she has come little late & will do only important tasks. She said it all before I dared to even ask that Why did she not come in time? I had not much choice....so without acknowledgement i let her do what in her opinion was important chore.

I reached office, exchanged wishes, had small celebrations and then everyone hurried back to their homes.

I came back home & asked that how were the celebrations they must have seen on television. They had not watched as the IPTV was not working properly.

But to my surprise My elder son had guided the little one to make beautiful TRICOLOUR Flags & place them in the living room. I observed that they had energy to talk about how they can plan for a flag hoisting ceremony in the resedential society. My husband had shared some incidents of freedom fight with the children & they had got some sweets from the market.

My younger son told me that it is a National FESTIVAL!!..... so the food made should be special.

I was happy & felt theblood moving in my body, pumped from the heart, then passing in the veins & arteries reach to the brain and get acess to all the cells of body.

I enjoyed SUCCESS......!!!!!!!

As a mother I have always talked with my children about What does being an Indian mean? How can we all bring the required changes to India. What values go in to live the word INDIAN.and many more such discussions.

I felt the Success because even though they missed the school, woke up late, felt everything around them like a Holiday.....but..... 15th August INDEPENDENCE DAY was a FESTIVAL and not just a National holiday at my home.

I am sure if all parents talk to their children & themselves about Dreaming their DREAM INDIA then the future is Bright!!!! the same light which was coming from behind the clouds in the morning was much brighter even in the evening.

My Inputs take a SuCCESSful Shape

Like Everyday,
I was at the session of "Self Empowerment" with the my students of management. After regular inputs of last 15days on topics like.... Self Introduction, Public Speaking, Leadership, Team Building, Time Management, Communication Skills today was the day when my students had to give Output through Presentations.
Unlike every morning when the class welcomed me with smile & their eyes seemed to be in want of listening more today the class was much silent & most of the eyes were with a question that how will the presentations go. After all this assignment also carried marks . GOODMorning I announced OK lets begin the session, Any volunteer who would like to begin......? This remained a question for more than a few seconds. The silence was unbelievable. This group had a few very chirpy youngesters.
It was again me to break the silence & loath out the sequential list of students to take stage. The next few seconds were loud murmurs and with the loud! Let's START! the first student stood up with some effort, walked out of the chair, looked aroud once & then asked me, "Mam! Is is possible that I start after somebody else had done the presentation. I smiled..........Why this question is asked so often?

Immediately the management story of the four words flashed in my mind. I recalled about " four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody,
and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do.
Anybody could have done it. Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody
wouldn’t do it.
Consequently, it wound up that Nobody told Anybody,
so Everybody blamed Somebody. "

I announced loudly that if YOU do not start then ask anybody and I promise that everybody would wait for somebody to start and nobody would start. Hearing this all laughed :):):) ....the tension eased Perhaps for a while.

Now I took my turn to once again empower the class, I reassured them that this was a practice & revision of what we have been doing in last few days. Such practice classes will actually make them READY for the future. This exercise was a real confidence booster. one after the other my students took stage and presented themselves, learnings & some ideas. Well today I would not comment about SUCCESS. For me all those who made mildest of effort to take stage and speak had decided to be successful.

I felt the power of SUCCESS flew in me, my Inputs had started taking a desired shape.

More stories Everyday

Sapna Agrawal

Dean Proseed B School, Behavioral Skill Corporate Trainer, Parenting Consultant.

Let us celebrate SUCCESS

I have been thinking always, that being Successful is an achievement all by itself. As professional s how we strive to be best amongst others & the mildest of acknowledgement makes us feel Successful. As parents this feeling of achievement is fulfilled by the Good Deeds of our children. So many efforts are being put into making events successful. And still there are innumerable definitions of Success & being Successful.

I would like to attest one thing; it really works with children & also with people of all ages.

The idea came from a story I read about the Olympic gymnast, Bart Connor. Turns out 9 months before the 1984 Olympics he tore his bicep muscle. They said he would never make it back in time to compete in the Olympics. But not only did he make it back, he won two gold medals. When, the television broadcaster, was interviewing him, he asked Bart how he did it. Bart thanked his parents. The broadcaster said, "Come on Bart, everyone thanks their parents when they win a gold medal." Bart told him that this was different. He said, "Every night before bed my parents would ask me what my success was. So I went to bed a success every night of my life. I woke up every morning a success. When I was injured before the Olympics, I knew I was going to make it back because I was a success every day of my life."

What a confidence booster it was for me before I could have given the confidence to my children. I have tried it occasionally & it works. Perhaps the night I ask them to talk about how success were they, they Dream of success whole night and then next morning are ready to build more success stories all of their own.

This is for all & I wish that with all I may also start practicing this as a HABIT & learn to be successful as an Individual, as a parent.....Let us all learn to Celebrate Success everyday.

Best Regards

Sapna Agrawal
Dean, Proseed B School
Behavioral Skill Corporate Trainer
Parenting Consultant