When I look back it feels as if my childhood got robbed away.Wish I had taken more care of it I would have remained young forever.

I grew up and learnt to be a parent and now I have become a parent reliving childhood.While having fun I didn’t realize I have made such wonderful memories with friends and family.

If today you are fully dependent on your maids for your kid tomorrow your kids will be fully dependent on home nurses for you.Life is a full circle and learning begins at home.

Are we becoming slaves to gadgets?

There is no doubt these gadgets have made our lives very easy and comfortable.

At the sametime we cannot deny the fact that face to face interactions have reduced.

A simple example could be – our phone gets lost and we realise we don’t remember the most important numbers.There was a time we could remember at least 20 numbers comfortably.We don’t remember important dates,if the phone doesn’t beep we easily forget to wish a birthday or an anniversary.

Our kids need to go for classes to get socially active else they wouldn’t know how to interact with people.Was our childhood like this?

Today’s kids are so addicted to gadgets – TV,IPads ,smart phones etc

While eating , in the car everywhere they need these tools to entertain them.Its painful to see kids in the park sitting under trees playing internet games instead of running around and getting involved in physical activities.

We as parents are at fault most times, when we don’t want to be bothered we give them these gadgets without setting any time rules.It later becomes a habit and then a bribe to get a task done and then there is no end to it…When you deny them they get irritated..

Even in a restaurant you sometimes come across families where each one is involved with their gadget, it’s family time please shut it down ,nothing in this world is more important than this…

As kids most of us we went to our grandparents home for vacations and we would look forward to it…To todays kids nothing like this excites – they would ask do they have an internet connection? will I get to play my games? For us there was so much to look forward to – playing with cousins, hogging on the yummy food prepared by our grandmothers….Today’s kids are different, we have made them different ,we are not letting them enjoy their childhood and build memories.

For them sometimes it’s so difficult to strike a conversation and they get bored so fast.Wonder if they know what it really means to feel bored…..

How many kids enjoy board games today? How many kids play word building with parents? How many kids narrate stories?

The outdoor games we played as kids , they haven’t even heard of them.

They only play games where there is coaching involved –

Gadgets are good but we need to have a control on ourselves as well as kids.We should not set wrong examples for them.

With the increasing applications on smart phones and social websites we have no much family time.Inside our houses we send messages to the person sitting in the next room.Where is the world heading to?

As I type I am also trying to find answers for myself…

Life sometimes looks like an exam paper,answering is important but you can decide what to attempt and what to leave.All questions are never compulsory.When you feel you cant write more,don’t waste time pondering over it again and again.Make a rocket out of it and shoot it in the air.Dont forget to watch it fly away as that’s what your mind wants to see.

People who show off or brag about themselves are the most insecured people in the world.For every statement you say they would always have something more to add to their personality.If you are really doing something special give the other person a chance to brag for you.Allow people to discover you,don’t try to paint their minds.Work hard silently and allow your success to make the noise.Allow me to know you,allow me to take time knowing you.Dont rush to tell me things about yourself.Life is journey let’s walk together and discover each other.

My one pocket is full of dreams and the other pocket has just one wish.God can choose one either my dreams or my only wish to witness all my dreams come true.

Parents give birth to children and children give birth to parents.Fathers may not be as expressive as mothers but are equally sensitive towards their kids.Both are equally important in a child’s life,they may play each other’s role but can’t be replaced by each other.Both have equal contribution in a child’s development emotionally and socially..Its not easy to be parents and one understands that only after becoming one.We understood our parents better only after we became parents.

The house in which we were raised always holds a special place in our heart.The memories remain intact in our minds.No other house can give you that feeling.

Size of the house never matters,smaller the house more the attachment as there is no scope for “personal space” which is heard very often now.

I have not seen God but I have seen my parents.Be there for them.

Goregaon (West) – Mumbai

Today had been for some shopping to Anupam Stationery and on my way back I used the Sky Walk for the first time.It was post 7:00pm peak office crowd ,getting off trains and the station area was looking jam packed from the top.So I decided to take the sky walk till the end (citi centre).It was quite clean not as bad as I thought and not much crowd.

There was a retired couple walking just ahead of me ,should be in their 60’s for sure.They were talking and enjoying the walk like any other youth would.We got off the sky walk and to my coincidence they were also heading in the same direction.There were traffic blocks, no autos ready to come as usual, cars barely moving on the MG road.The couple wasn’t bothered about any of these things happening around, they were very engrossed in their conversations and smiling away.To my notice we were faster than most vehicles stuck on the road.People inside the cars were yelling to make ways,abusing,some almost ready to pick up fights.We were still walking.The couple almost knew all the shop keepers on the road,exchanging smiles and greeting them.They took a turn into one of the gullies and got to their building.

Was just thinking people like us (taking my example here) have moved from place to place had a total nomadic lifestyle (in the 11 years of marriage) before I made some good friends in the area I would have had to move out.Could never really have an emotional attachment with any house I lived , so I cant even call it a home.My child was born in one house, took his first steps in another one and he started talking in another one.I feel all my memories are so scattered.Earlier this happened with army people or people with transferable jobs.Now what I see is most people change their jobs in avg of 3-4 years move places.Its become part of routine.Complete rat race.

The earlier generation had a better lifestyle compared to us, decent working hours which helped them to know the people around,they had lots to talk,lesser money, not much credit facilities which helped them plan a better living with what they had.They found happiness in small things.When this old couple was walking on the road having their peppy conversations on the other side inside the cars I could see frustrations on faces ,though they had their wife and kids along,instead of talking to each other and waiting for the traffic to clear which was anyways going to take its sweet time they were busy yelling, removing frustrations on their kids – The mentality would be we can go home and also talk, is this a place and right time to talk in the middle of the traffic.

Why has our generation become so time bound, cant we live every moment? Why do we have a mechanical life style? Wonder how many of us go for walks with their spouses.Unless pre planned it would never happen, a small thing like taking a walk also can’t happen instantly. I remember my father spending time with me daily when I was in school, but today I can’t see it happen with my child.Fathers have become weekend fathers.Wonder how cool is that?

Today our life style is like this ,wonder how it would be at 60, would we actually see 60?

In our 30’s we don’t have much to talk, we end up calling people to party or vice versa so that we don’t have to actually think what to talk with each other.By 60 what would we do?

Acceptance – It is the true thing everybody longs for.For example when you enter a room, you want to be greeted with smiles and hugs.In that one moment you get the feeling of acceptance.

There are two situations – You either accept a situation in the present condition else you take responsibility to change the current condition without manipulation.

What has happened in the past cannot be forgotten and at the sametime can’t be edited or changed – so only option left is accept it.When you feel you have tried enough and there is nothing more you can do,you end up resigning from that situation.Thats only a temporary solution.You either withdraw yourself completely from the situation with no regrets or accept the situation and give it a chance.When we opt for the second – that’s giving a chance,often it’s mistaken as weakness.

While giving a chance don’t hold anything against -that’s the past.

Sometimes a lot advices follow but you just don’t have the patience for it – you only want acceptance.

Always take a decision that you can standby else it will haunt you forever.

God does not make clones.Each person is different, a tribute to God’s creativity. If we are to love our near and dear ones as ourselves,we must accept people as they are and not demand that they conform to our own image.

Happy Friendship Day!

Don’t prison your passion.If your heart pumps hard for something, there is always a reason.When you hear the knock just open your mind and heart.You will find the master key to your smiles.There is nothing like now or never,don’t limit yourself,it’s your dream do it your way.