"Now I know why my mom did that": Kids share beautiful stories of childhood

30 year old Mayur writes: “I was not a good student. But there was tremendous pressure from my father and my relatives as well to perform well academically as all my cousins were very successful at that point of time.


I took help of ‘other’ ways in order to meet the expectations. Guided by a few friends I prepared small pieces of papers where I wrote the answers and stuffed them in my socks and shoes. During the exam I was caught and the malpractice was reported to my parents.


My mother, who otherwise is always calm and composed, did not speak to me for days. “Your failure does hurt me, but when you were caught cheating during the exam I felt like I have failed as a mother,” she told me. Her eyes were moist.


That day I could not understand what she meant, because I was brimming with anger as my plans to be at par with my cousins were foiled.


But later, that line had a major impact on the course of my life. You may succeed through deception but it does not last long. Ultimately, people will remember you for your deeds and now I know why my mom did that.

For 32 year old Ankita, her mother gave her the first finance management class.


“From a small piggy bank I was taught the concept of savings and expenditure,” says Ankita.


“My mother was a homemaker and every month my dad gave her a fixed amount of money for expenditure. We belong to a simple middle class family that survived on the single salary of my father. However, I have never seen my mother asking for extra money,” she says.


“During the month-end or sometimes when my dad’s salary came later than usual I have seen my mom bringing out crumbled notes from her piggy bank and from tin cans. From a very early age my mom had taught me to be extra careful with money. Now that I know why she did that, I have started teaching my kids the importance of money. Thanks Maa,” says Ankita.

34 year old Daisy says: “I was raised with a brother, who is 3 years younger to me. While there was gender balance in my family I was encouraged to be confident, no matter how confident I felt all time.


My mom, though never discouraged me, never particularly made me wear a jhumka or put on nail polish. Instead she always talked to me about studies and getting a good job. I always wanted to sport a fashionable look, get a trendy hair cut and wear dresses that my friends wore during that time.


Later, when I completed my studies and started looking for jobs I realized that confidence is among the most important things to be successful and it applies to men and women alike.


I thank my mom for putting this in my mind from a young age which is immensely helping me now.”

“I was always a topper. Never did I secure bad marks until class 9,” says 30 year old Diksha.


“I made bad friends and that affected my study. But I was always confident about my marks and my position as topper. However, my mother always warned me to be careful,” she says.


“If you don’t work hard, somebody else will do it and will get the first position,” she had warned me.


“When the results came I was shocked. I was in the fifth position and there were four other students above me in the rank. Not only did my mom’s warning come true it got amplified four times!


That was a big lesson for me and I never let any opportunity go past me without giving 100% effort,” says Diksha.

I had scored 55% marks in class 10, says Ravi. "With this mark I was unable to secure a seat in a good college in science. However, with the pinch of luck that was left for me, I got a seat in a college situated in the outskirts of the city," he says.


"Everyday I had to travel for 30 kilometres to my college. By 8pm, everyday I got so tired that I could barely keep my eyelids open. Not just physically, I was mentally exhausted too. All my friends had secured good marks and had joined prestigious colleges. I could not muster courage to meet my friends. It was during this time my mom's words kept me motivated," says Ravi.


"She always made me feel worthy and told me that it is never too late to build a career. She stayed awake with me till late at night so that I could study properly. Even if she could not understand a word of science, she sat on a chair near me and saw me studying."


"I passed class 12 securing 75%. I did BSc and MSc in Physics and got PhD in a reputed university," he adds.


"Had it not been for the inspiring words of my mother and her company during late night studies, I would have continued to lament my failure. There can not be a better person to teach you resilience than your own mother," he says.

Moms are overprotective, fiercely watchful and are always on their toes to safeguard their kids.


Though things are changing now and mothers have stepped out of their homes and have started earning for their family, there has been no significant change in motherhood. Moms passively teach their children several things like savings, honesty, being good to others and have a special connection with them.


From confidence to resilience, a mother knows how to inculcate these attributes in her child because she knows the highs and lows and the best and worst phase of her kid.

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