How often do we realise that our actions or words can have tremendous impact on the other..?? How often do we think before saying something harsh..?? How often have we said something nice to our loved ones to make them feel special or make them happy?

We often bump into a stranger on the road and we say SORRY to him. Suppose the same happens with our child at home and what do we end up saying??…..GET OUT OF THE WAY…!!! doesnt this surprise you at times??? I find it very strange as we are so polite and courteus to the stranger that we come across just once in life but end up being so rude with our children or parents for that matter.

Recently, one of my freind who works for Indian Air Force narrated his real-life incident to me. That was another classic case which shows how cassualy we take our relationships which our loved ones – the people who are so important in our life.

His parents had to go somewhere and his father had never traveled by air before, so he just took this opportunity to make him experience the same. In spite of being asked to book tickets by train, he got them tickets on Jet Airways. The moment he handed over the tickets to him, his father was surprised to see that he had booked them by air. The excitement was very apparent on his face, waiting for the time of travel. Just like a school boy, he was preparing himself on that day and we all went to the airport, right from using the trolley for his luggage, the baggage check-in and asking for window seat and waiting restlessly for the security check-in to happen. He was thoroughly enjoying himself. My freind was also overcome with joy watching him experience all these things.

As they were about to go in for the security check-in, his father walked up to me with tears in his eyes and thanked his son. He became very emotional and it was not as if I had done something great but the fact that this meant a great deal to him.

When he said thanks, my freind told him there was no need to thank. But later my freind confessed infront of me that, thinking about the entire incident, he looked back at my life. As a child how many dreams his parents have made come true. Without understanding the financial situation, he asked for cricket bats, dresses, toys, outings, etc. Irrespective of their affordability, they have catered to all his needs.

His point was that did we ever think about the sacrifices they had to make to accommodate many of our wishes? Did we ever say thanks for all that they have done for us? Same way, today when it comes to our children, we always think that we should put them in a good school. Regardless of the amount of donation, we will ensure that we will have to give the child the best, theme parks, toys, etc. But we tend to forget that our parents have sacrificed a lot for our sake to see us happy, so it is our responsibility to ensure that their dreams are realized and what they failed to see when they were young, it is our responsibility to ensure that they experience all those and their life is complete.

I myself realised that many times, when my parents had asked me some questions, I have actually answered back without patience. When my daughter asks me something, I have been very polite in answering. Now I realize how they would have felt at those moments. Let us realize that old age is a second childhood and just as we take care of our children, the same attention and same care need to be given to our parents and elders.

Also remember, ‘just because they are old does not mean that they will have to give up everything and keep sacrificing for their grandchildren also’. They have wishes, too.

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