Tough Love.

“I don’t have any stories for you today”, the Mother told the child, “You have been behaving very selfishly and inappropriate since the past week, so no stories for you from now on.” She looked at the child, who now had a puppy-like face, imploring her to read a story.

“Mom you are so mean. Why can’t you tell me a story? You tell me one every day. I can’t go to sleep without hearing a story! Mommy!”, cried the child as she pulled at her Mother’s dress when she was standing up.

“No Laila!”, her mother shouted, “You don’t know how to act in front of others or respect your elders. You need to go back to the starting of yesterday and remember what all you have been doing wrong all this time. I am sure you will realize, so tell me what it is, and I will forgive you. If you can’t realize, then I am sorry.”

Laila looked at her, punched her dress that she had been holding and shouted, “Go away. Idiot!”. Hearing that, the Mother became furious and shouted “Laila! Stop and Go to sleep. Right Now!” and she hurried outside the room.

Once outside, she couldn’t hold her tears. She could still hear Laila’s voice from inside, “Yes! Fine! I am going to sleep! Go to hell Mom!” The Mother just stood still outside the door, put her ears to the door. She could hear a faint sobbing, and after five minutes, nothing.

Laila has probably gone to sleep, she thought, why does she behave like that? What has come into her? Did I not raise her correctly? Did I spoil her too much? When will she understand that she needs to respect others? Perhaps I need to be stricter with her from now on so she can mature into a beautiful woman with a good personality. But I need to be strict with her, thinking this made her heart tight, that is the most appropriate thing to do if I need her to have a better future.

She walked back to her own room, so as to go sleep but ended up reading a story to herself, as tears rolled down her eyes.

-Siddarth

Mother.

“I have a headache mom, please get me some iced tea. I need to calm my mind.”, shouted Mori, “Or coffee should be good too. Just need something cold.”

“No Mori, you need to drink something hot if you have a headache. Why don’t you take a break and lie down for a while.”, said the Mother calmly, “I will get you some hot tea and then we both can talk and drink.”

“Mom, please just bring me what I told you. I need some iced tea and I need to finish up my work. Please.”, yelled Mori.

“Do you want hot tea or not?”, said the Mother calmly.

“Fine! Bring whatever you want to. I can get something cold later. Damn it. Just bring it quick.”, Mori yelled back.

Thank God she accepted to take the hot tea. She shouldn’t drink cold stuff when she has a headache, better to have something warm. But why is her head aching? Is everything okay? Did she eat something bad? No, No. It is probably due to the constant mobile and laptop she watches. She does all her work on it as well as play games on it. That is why it is aching. All the reason clearly points to screens. A worried Mother made made the tea, tasted it, heated it again for a few seconds, added some sugar and tasting it again. I am sure she will like this.

Mori’s voice reached again, “Mom have you finished preparing the tea? Can you bring it over to my room?”

Mother sighed a little, murmuring “This girl…” under her breath and took the two cups of tea to Mori’s room.

“So how is the tea? Is the headache better now? I am sure it is much better after drinking something warm. Isn’t it?”, Mother asked.

“I am fine, Mom. Thank you for the tea. I will just take a medicine and take a nap for 15 minutes”, replied a calmed Mori.

“Sure. That’s a good idea. Here is the medicine”, Mother took a tablet out from her pocket, “I got it for you, just in case.” Mori, on seeing that, sighed a little and smiled slightly.

-Siddarth

Ways Apart.

“Don’t work so hard, you know. Spend some time with us as well”, Elena said on the phone hoping to sway her husband, “Sita and Lajjo are both wishing to meet you all the time but you only come home around 11 pm when both of them have gone to sleep. At least let them see you on some days and go out to have dinner or ice cream.”

“Really Elena? It’s 3 pm and you called me to speak about this? You remember we have talked about this so many times.”, said a frustrated husband, “I can’t deal with your nagging all the time, if you don’t have anything else to say then I will be cutting the call.”

Elena was started by the sudden increase in voice. She kept mum for a few seconds and spoke, “This is not right. You shouldn’t treat us like this. I also gave up my job to live with you and take care of the children, that doesn’t mean that you can disrespect us as if I am not doing anything. Everyone can make time for the family! I don’t understand what work you are doing that you can’t come home a little earlier.”

He was taken aback as he had never heard Elena sound so disappointed before. After a moment of silence, he replied, “Oh Elena. I understand how you feel. Okay I will try to come by 10 pm today. Alright?”

Elena got even more irritated after hearing that response and cried, “Are you kidding me? You know very well that both children go to sleep by 9, and you need to spend some quality time with them. You need to be home by 7 so that we can go out for dinner. If not, then I will just go alone with them.”

“Fine. Fine. I will take my leave shortly so that I can reach home by 7. Alright then See you soon”, he replied and put the phone on the table. He covered his face with his hands and took a moment to understand what had happened, then thought, “What is wrong with her. It’s been the same way since the past five years, but why now?”

He got up from his chair, took the coat from the rack, and walked towards the door. While he was heading for the door, a peon opened it and cried, “Sir there is an emergency. A patient is in a very critical state.”

The husband was perplexed. He looked at the peon, shrugged and said, “I am sorry. I need to go home. Please let another doctor know.”

The peon wanted to ask once more but the husband glared at his face and said, “Well then. Goodbye.”

-Siddarth

California class shooting

#California #US #shooting #school #victims #students #children #suicide

Elaine Smith (53) was a special-education teacher at North Park School, San Bernardino, California. During one of the elementary school classes, her husband, Cedric Anderson, walked in and opened fire, killing her and an eight year old student, Jonathan Martinez, after which he re-loaded the gun and killed himself. The murder-suicide spread panic across the city, especially among the parents and grandparents of students in the school who were shocked at the news of the incident.

A nine-year old student was also critically wounded, however he has been stabilized in the hospital.

San Bernardino, a city of 216,000 people about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, was the site of a December 2015 terror attack that killed 14 people and wounded 22 others at a meeting of San Bernardino County employees.

Read the full article here

I can’t even imagine what had gone through the kids during that moment in the class. They would be have been terribly afraid. I wish people are able to show their support for the kids, and also pray for the injured. May the people who died rest in peace.

Trump administration considering …

#Trump #USA #immigration #Mexico #women #children #HumanRights

Under a proposal being considered by the Department of Homeland Security, women and children entering USA illegally could be separated. The parents will be kept in custoday while they contest deportation or wait for asylum hearings. Whereas the children will be put under protective custody with the Department of Health and Human Services in the least restrictive setting.

Such measure might deter mothers from migrating to the USA with their children. Currently, families contesting deportation or applying for asylum are generally released from detention quickly and allowed to remain in the USA because federal appeals court ruling bars prolonged child detention. This will also help in the safety of children, who, often, are exploited, abused or killed by parents, relatives or smugglers.

About 54,000 children and their guardians were apprehended between Oct 1st, 2016 and Jan 31st, 2017, more than double the number caught over the same time period a year earlier.

Republicans in Congress argued that women are willing to risk the dangerous journey with their children because they are assured they will be quickly released from detention and given court dates set years into the future.

Read the full article here.

Islamic State at a new all-time low.

#ISIS #VBEIDs #Iraq #Mosul #Children #Support #war

Children and disabled should be supported, helped, protected and treated with respect.

However, Islamic State jihadists are forcing children and disabled people into explosives-laden trucks (VBIEDs – Vehicle borne improvised explosive devices) and making them drive at Iraqi security forces in Mosul.

These disabled who might not be able to hear or walk, and children are being put in the VBEIDs, and chained to the seat. There mission is to kill as many security forces possible by blowing themselves up. However, more than half of such missions fail since their drivers veer off course and attempt to hide behind structures.

As its fighters are killed off and it loses ground, the IS group has developed new brutal ways to counter-strike, including by steering hobby drones fitted witih grenades and bombs at troops and civilians.

Read the full article here.