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The Punchline Shouldn’t Hurt

  The Punchline Shouldn’t Hurt Because the Joke Your Child Repeats Tomorrow May Begin With What They Watch Today A few days ago, a mother shared something heartbreaking with me. Her six-year-old daughter stood in front of the mirror, pulled at her tummy, and asked: “Mumma… am I the funny fat type?” Six years old. Not asking if she was smart. Not asking if she was kind. Not asking if she was loved. But whether her body was the kind people laugh at. And if that doesn’t shake us as parents, honestly — what will? Because children are not learning body shame out of nowhere. They are learning it from the world we casually call “entertainment.” From the comedy scenes we play during dinner. From the OTT shows running in the background. From serials where one character’s entire personality is their weight. From comedy clips where humiliation gets the loudest laugh. And slowly, dangerously, our children are beginning to believe something toxic: Humiliation is hilarious. The New Childhood Les...
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The Race Parents Are Running Today… Their Children Never Signed Up For.

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  The Race Parents Are Running Today… Their Children Never Signed Up For. Sometimes, a child isn’t refusing to learn. They’re simply asking us to wait. “Mumma… I don’t want to go today.” Five-year-old Anaya stood near the door, dressed in her tiny Kathak outfit. Her ghungroos lay untouched on the floor. Her mother smiled, thinking she was being fussy. “Come on! We’ll be late.” Anaya looked down. “My feet hurt.” Her mother gently held her hand. “Beta, every new class feels difficult. Once you learn properly, you’ll enjoy it.” “But Mumma… my legs hurt.” “You’re just making excuses. You said the same thing about swimming too. Come on.” The conversation ended. The class continued. Week after week. No one noticed that Anaya wasn’t refusing to dance. She was struggling to keep up with movements her little body wasn’t yet ready to perform. A few days later, I watched a little boy at a table tennis academy. He couldn’t have been more than five. T...
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Ma’am, My Child Is Not Visible in the Photograph…

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Ma’am, My Child Is Not Visible in the Photograph… Understanding Why Every Child Does Not Need to Stand in the Spotlight One of the most common questions schools hear after annual functions, classroom activities, assemblies, sports days, or event photographs is: “Ma’am, my child is not visible in the photograph.” “Why is my child standing at the back?” “Why is he not in the front row?” “Why does my child never seem to be doing anything?” They come from something much softer— a parent’s love mixed with anxiety. “I want my child to be noticed.” “I want people to see how capable my child is.” And often, these questions do not come from anger. Because somewhere inside every parent lives a dream: “I want my child to shine.” But sometimes, without realising it, we begin measuring our child’s happiness, participation, and confidence by one thing: How visible they appear. And that is where we need to pause and rethink. A Photograph Captures a Moment—Not a Child’s Entire St...
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