Dear Zindagi: Don't let the dark side of exams cast a shadow on your child's happiness

When exam results are declared parents sometimes forget that children are a part of them.

Dayashankar Mishra

Every parent wants their child to do well in life and wants them to get good marks in their exams.

However, the fiercely competitive world certainly doesn't make things easier.

But do marks or a percentage hold a higher priority than your own child?

Every year when school board results are declared, it brings with it a wave of depression and a number of suicides among students.

Who is to blame? Is parental pressure to do 'better than your siblings/cousins/friends/neighbours' worth more than your child's happiness and mental wellbeing?

Parents sometimes forget that children are a part of them. So what if they didn't score as per your expectations? Should their percentage become a measuring unit for your love for them?

At that point, your love and support is the only thing a child requires - a promise that you're with them at every step of their life, to pick them up when they fall. Because there is no shame in falling down, but there is pride in getting back up.

Don't let a mere marksheet make or break the bond of love and compassion you hold for your child. Let them make mistakes, they are, after all, human too.

Salutations to those parents who find a way to celebrate with their children regardless of how they scored in their exams.

You might not know it right now, but your unconditional support will definitely help your child later in life and you will see it when they live their life with their heads held high.

Show them love, give them hope, be their pillar of strength like you should, because a small speed-bump should never decide the journey of their life.