The child is the father of man! How does one interpret this saying? If you look in Google, you will probably find out multiple explanations. But the most popular one is: 'Man is the product of habits & behavior developed in youth'.
It is an idiom that was used in the poem 'My Heart Leaps Up’ by William Wordsworth. But then it was a long time ago and William Wordsworth may had been a great poet but what idea did he have about the future and its children?
Had he been alive to see this day he would have known what it means nowadays.
The child is the ‘Father’! Yes, it is true. It turned out that kids are the real boss (Woh Bacchae hi hai jo sare Baap Nikle)! And fathers! Oh, God! If only God could have shown some mercy.
I feel roughly eighty percent of fathers across the globe irrespective of caste, creed, religion, age & culture will sympathize with this sentiment. Rest who are already finding this write-up a piece of meaningless crap, let me tell you that you guys genuinely fall in the category of super dads/superheroes.
Here I must pause for a bit to mention that recent findings indicate that almost all mothers are Supermoms. Therefore, all mothers are outside the purview of this study. You, Supermoms, belong to a different class altogether. No matter what you do, your kids will love you. Scold your kids, scoff at them, give them a thrashing or an earful about something, whatever you wish you can do, still you, Supermoms will be their all-time favorites. So, I feel, fathers lack the credibility to discuss "Mommies". Hence keeping you all amazing Supermoms aside on the sacred altar, I will proceed with the much weaker & vulnerable fathers and their fallibility.
Super dads as mentioned earlier though are placed in the very next rung just after the Supermoms. A big salute & deepest regards to that elite league of extraordinary gentlemen!
Now remain us. Just fathers, normal, ordinary fathers, that meek section of the human race whom one will find as helpless or hopeless or clueless & often left speechless by their kids, the children (Aasli Baap, Baap ka Baap)!
When I became a father for the first time, that wonderful feeling in my heart; seeing my newborn daughter, holding her in my hands, planting an affectionate kiss on her forehead, and with a glint of joyful tears in my eyes, I vowed, I promised myself to be a great dad, a perfect one.
Less than two years, I was holding my son for the first time in that same 'OT' room. This time too same emotions and even more confidence! I bent down and thanked my best friend, my wife who was lying half-conscious and whispered in her ears. "I will be the best dad dear! You will see."
Six years have passed since then. And here now I am, trying to figure out where so many things have gone wrong!
I met with a few other fathers of the eighty percent club and discussed with them as well. All of us are in the same boat. We all wonder how easily the kids manipulate us. How those little angels just in a span of seven, or eight years have grown up and have become worthy of teaching us lessons on almost everything.
My friend Kumar and his son Ryan; what a father-son duo they are!
A few days back when I visited Kumar's house for some work, he told me while watching Mahabharata his eight-year-old son Ryan asked him, how did king Pandu die? Kumar was straightaway in an awkward situation, dumbstruck, without any idea of explaining to an eight-year-old about Pandu's sudden amorous instincts that overwhelmingly led him to advance towards Madri, being oblivious about the curse given by the sage Kindama whom he had killed accidentally.
Seeing Kumar in such a distraught state struggling to find a realistic and befitting reply, his son Ryan playfully teased him. "Dad, what makes you think so much? Didn't you see Pandu was under so much stress? He had to look after his kingdom; he had two queens to take care of, he killed the 'Rishi', and his wife by mistake in the forest and got a curse, and then something unpleasant must have happened between him and queen Madri. Such tremendous tension in his life! Moreover, he looked so pale on the TV. He must have had a heart attack. So many worries for a king. It killed poor Pandu!"
Kumar was narrating this incident and I could still see the disbelief, and bewilderment in his eyes. Ryan was beside him doing stuff, looked up to give me a quick glance, and that telltale sign of confidence about his own knowledge oozing out from his face……. from where does an eight-year-old get that?
Is it innocence or precociousness? We fathers remain baffled. In our times, kids would normally wet their pants in school and suck their fingers. Today's kids interact online, use Zoom, and MS Teams, mute & unmute their parents at their free will, and even worse they analyze what they have seen in Mahabharata! Just imagine what consequences we will face if ever they come across any content on Netflix or ZEE 5!
Surely time has changed and it will not be wrong to say that kids have evolved and dealing with them requires a lot more tact, patience, and character.
Super Moms & Super dads are super blessed to have these super qualities, almost as their exclusive rights.
But for an average Dad like us, it is a big ask. We often fail but we also know how to mend our ways & keep the naughty little ones under control despite all the troubles they give us. It is our secret and let us keep it that way only.
Cheers to the fathers of the eighty percent club! No matter what, we too rock bro!