Nayanika was sad. A very hectic work week had just got over. Usually on a Friday evenings, she looks forward to an exciting week end. She is a busy professional with highly gratifying job, a caring husband and a bright 5 years old daughter whom she proudly named Meghavi. Her husband Samay is a marketing professional and travelled for work very often. The weekends are special always as the three of them are home together. They visit friends, organized picnics, visit grand parents on both sides, watch Meghavi’s favorite movies before dinner and both parents watched romantic movies after Meghavi went to sleep. Nayanika looked forward to weekends usually, but today she is not excited about it at all. There was nothing wrong between the couple or anything to do with Meghavi. She was upset because her best friend Reeti had not spoken to her since the last week end. She was not responding to her messages nor answering her calls.
Nayanika was not worried about the safety or well being of her best friend and her family. She knew they were all ok, but she also knew that Neeti was upset with her. She was upset over something Nayanika said. Nayanika knew Reeti had all the rights to be upset. She should not have said what she said... it was all her fault. She couldn't stop a small tear appearing at the brim of her eyes. That night after tucking Meghavi in the bed and ensuring that she has slept, she walked slowly to her room. Samay was already in bed, reading a book. Nayanika also sat on her side of the bed and kept looking nowhere. Samay kept his book aside and asked,"You look exceptionally quiet today. What's wrong? Problems at work? All well at your mom's house?" She just shook her head but didn't utter a word. "What's wrong Naini? I am back home after 10 days and you are not excited at all? You are not bubbly and chirpy about what we would do tomorrow and not arguing with me over what to do and what not. What's the matter? If you dont tell me, how are we going to solve it? Common, Common, be a good girl and pour it out... " Nayanika could not control her emotions anymore, she leaned on his shoulders and started crying... . "What happened baby, you always tell Meghavi, use your words, talking can solve any problem.. now its your turn to use words."
"Reeti is not talking to me for past whole week. I tried calling her, messaging her but she is not responding to any." Nayanika was almost hysteric.. "Then call up her husband to check if she is ok!! Her mom and your family are your parents' neighbors for years.. you can call her mom and ask if she is OK!! Did you call any one of them?" Nayanika shook her head in negation. "Then the matter is simple.. let me call her husband. Will find out what's wrong" with her." He picked up his phone to dial Reeti's husband's number. Nayanika rose quickly and grabbed the phone from him..
" No don't call. I Know why she is not talking. She is upset with me. She is upset over something I said... I said something I should not have said." "You know that we plan and go to stay at our mum's house at the same time so that we friends can spend some time together and our kids can also play together. Our Meghavi enjoys playing with her daughter Ananya. I have told you about previous incidences where Ananya cheats in games and tells lies to people to get them to act in her favor. Ananya brags and bluffs and does all that a young girl of her age should not be doing. I saw that Meghavi is learning all those things from her now. " The last weekend when you were not here, I and Reeti were at the public park. Both girls were playing. Reeti and I were having our regular chitchat. As usual while I was talking to Reeti, a part of my attention was on girls who were racing with some other kids from the neighborhood. A boy fell down and I saw that Ananya had pushed him.. but when we ran to them, Ananya said she was far away when the boy fell down and she didn't know what had happened. That boy was crying and was too confused to narrate and report what had happened. We calmed him and they all started playing again soon. I knew that Ananya was telling a lie. I could not keep quiet this time. I told Reeti that I had seen Ananya pushing that boy and she is telling lies now. The truth didn't matter much because the boy was not seriously hurt and they had started playing again. But Reeti was not ready to see the point. She said if my daughter is smart enough not to get caught, its ok. In cut throat competition, its ok to be very smart and be able to use the and bend facts. She will be able to adjust in fast and dirty corporate culture easily. She is less worried about her daughter because she is capable of getting what she wants somehow, … I could not control and spoke out my long pending fear. I told her that her daughter is very smart and intelligent and she says she wants to be a doctor, she would surely be a doctor.. but if her values and ethics are not in right place, she would do illegal and unethical activities like prescribing expensive medicines, suggesting unnecessary surgeries or even do something like organ trading and organ trafficking.. I know I was too harsh. I should not have stretched to that limit... but you know I was worried about her moral development for long. She is my best friends daughter.. I said because I am worried and not because I have ill feelings for her. I only wanted to draw her attention... that's all.. I know I should not have said that... "
She continued to speak and sob at the same time.. Samay said "First of all I know that for a long time you have been waiting to draw her attention towards inculcating right values in her daughter. You may have used some harsh words but you were not wrong. I think you should apologize to her for hurting her feelings... but not for pointing out the things. If she is mature enough to see the good intentions through harsh words and if she can see that you genuinely are sorry, good for both of you. Give her enough time ..eventually she would realize that you are a well wisher. Now go to sleep. Tomorrow morning we shall go to that beach you always wanted to go. I will try to teach swimming one more time to both of you."
Next Friday when Samay came home from work. Nayanika was humming a song in the kitchen. She appeared to be planning an elaborate dinner. He asked "What's the treat for? Do we have a something to celebrate?" "Reeti auntie and Ananya had come home. Mummy and auntie were talking and talking and talking the whole evening. Ananya and I were playing and playing and playing the whole evening. Mummy said next week sometime I can go to Ananya's house for a play date." Samay looked at Nayanika with an amused smile.
Later that day when both husband and wife were alone in their room, Nayanika told Samay. " I sent a long message to Reeti, telling her how terrible I was feeling after saying what I said. But at the same time I still insist on teaching right things at right age and not sorry for pointing out some facts to her. I wrote clearly that if our views on inculcating right values in our children are not the same, then our friendship is the cost I am ready to pay for building better value system for my child. She replied back saying-' at last she was able to see my point. Initially I was angry that you were pointing finger's at my child and questioning my abilities as a parent. I hated you and cursed you a lot... but when my anger subsided, I could see that you could have kept quiet about the whole thing and slowly reduced the interaction with me and my daughter. But you are a true friend. You risked our relation to shatter my wrong belief and were a real well wisher. She came home to tell me that we should forget the whole episode and both of agreed to watch our kids grow with better values while we strive to be alert mommies always"
What do you think? Was Nayanika right? Was it right on her parts to point out the things? was her way of pointing out right? Should all parents not decide what is good or bad for their won children? or certain values are absolute values and one can not have a different view on it? To what extent can parents go to protect their children from learning bad things? No answer is right or wrong, one has to find his/her own answer..
