Let them shine!!

 

"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎."

I have lost count of how many times I have heard this comment from relatives, neighbors and school teachers.

They are all referring to my younger son Aayush.

Like most second-borns, Aayush has always been overshadowed by his high-achieving older brother, Aman.

Aman is a top student in his class, a talented percussionist, a martial arts exponent, good singer, extremely well-behaved and mature beyond his age. In short, the world sees him as a perfect son.

Aayush is at the other side of the spectrum. He is an average student without any particular interest in sports, martial arts or extra-curricular activities. He speaks his mind, spends most of his time playing with friends and detests anything remotely connected to books or studies.

In a world where kids are rated on the basis of their school grades, Aayush is often ranked among the last in the list.

So, people put on a sympathetic face, shake their heads and say, "𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎."

Am I?

Not one bit!! 😄

Because I have been a constant in his life from Day 1. Because I know the real Aayush and everything about him that never finds its way into grades:

💎 𝑬𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒚: If I fall sick, he is the only one at home who bothers to check on me. He brings me warm tea or gruel, massages my forehead and makes sure I am comfortable.

💎 𝑻𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔: If there are dirty dishes in the sink, he washes the whole lot without anyone asking him to. If the floor or tabletop is messy, he meticulously cleans it up.

💎 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏: He loves animals. Keeps rescuing abandoned kittens and injured puppies. I love watching him talk to animals as if they are his dear friends.

💎 𝑺𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆: He cooks for Aman if I'm unavailable. He beams with pride when someone praises Aman - not an iota of jealousy or resentment.

💎 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏: If no one comes to pick up his cousin from tuition classes, he makes sure she reaches home safely. If she needs to go to an unfamiliar place, he always accompanies her and watches out for her.

💎 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔: At every function we attend, Aayush will be the one helping old people to their seats or back to their cars.

Now tell me. 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦?

I am proud of him. Proud of both my boys, in fact. But in different ways.

People look up to me for bringing up a fine boy like Aman.

But I consider myself luckier to be blessed by a son like Aayush... Because he makes the world a better place for everyone.... 💓 💓