There is this endless list of summer camps coming in the daily Newspaper each trying to advertise something 'Fancy' something 'New'. While in the process of 'thinking' to put my son in one of them, memories of how we spent the vacation pop up. Summer to us in the '70s and '80s meant camping at home with aunts and uncles/cousins either their home or ours. We couldn't keep count of how time flew unlike now when parents have to think to keep their offsprings busy every hour, to make them 'productive' to let them do something 'constructive' and such sorts. Sometimes I think shouldn't we let our children 'do nothing' for few days in summer at least, i.e. leave them to decide how they want to spend a typical summer day at home apart from sleeping, eating and other routine work. Of course I am talking about the children with a parent or grandparent at home. No television of course, that's the condition. We as children used to get bored (there was no idiot box then) and the only way to ward off boredom was to read comics (my favourite was Mandrake and Phantom), Amar Chitra Katha or play for hours together with friends. For me it also meant an escape to the terrace, watch variety of birds and trees, the changing moods of the sky etc. which prompted me to start writing about them. The changing of summer season to the Rainy was the most captivating one. The whiff of the just wet soil from the 1st showers of the Monsoon and the thrill of the tiny droplets, watch grass sprout everywhere where there was none before, run bare feet on the muddy grounds, wonder at the umbrellas of greens on the once naked trees and many such things. But the most memorable ones are those spent with cousins and granny. Now the cousins are scattered all around the country and the globe but the bond still remains, and such that even if we meet after decades, irrespective of the lives we lead, we can bank on having a good time together. The relationship built during childhood are so strong that they make you feel 'rich' in your later years. I don't know, being 'People Rich' has always made sense to me. The camps are good once in few years but its also good to enable children bond with their cousins and the extended family frequently as they now have the time to do so.
As for me, still unable to decide, whether to pack him off to his 'Nani's house' or to a 'Camp', I have involved my son to conduct 'activity class' which is being run by the Society's 'Ladies Club', along with his grandparents who are having a good time with the children as well.
I suppose nowadays camps are necessary because of small families. Yes cousins are good company but they may not be available for the entire vacation.
ReplyDeleteBTW i feel Aakash resembles his mama a lot and which tree is he climbing? and where
Its a normal garden tree in one of the gardens here. He's a lot like his mama u right. A few days spent with friend's children or relative's children is as much as essential as camps is all I want to say.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Veena, even i get irritated when I hear all of my daughter's friends are attending summer camps! Even during school time, their parents don't seem to want to let their kids play in the evenings or have some free time. They are carted off for some tuition or class or the other so that they don't waste their time doing nothing but running around! I don't understand this logic at all... whats wrong with running around? After all it is a good exercise and as long as they are having fun, why bother?
ReplyDeleteBut the kids nowadays are specimens themselves. They don't know what to do on their own since most of them are single children. They tend to watch a lot of TV too. I remember during my childhood, I used to play with all kinds of things, alone, often mumbling to myself some song or story. These kids somehow don't have that ability! Looks like this comment has gotten a bit too long...oops!
hey dcg ! Your comments r welcome and any length of it. you used the apt sentence 'they don't know what to do on their own'.
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