The upbringing of a son

“Wow! Is she pregnant again?” Tina jumped with joy, “It is a great news”.

Sanjay had called Tina for a cup of tea assuring a surprise news. Hearing the introductory words made by Sanjay about the pregnancy of his wife, Tina jumped of joy. Tina and Sanjay were good childhood friends. Both were happily married and had awesome partners. But their friendship always made them share their secrets, routines and plans on regular basis. They both supplemented each other like the best of the friends to keep moving their family life in a smooth and planned manner.

“Indeed it is. And we all are excited, especially our son,” Sanjay replied, “though somewhere at the back of our mind we are worried too”.

“Worried? For what? Whether it will be a baby girl?”

“No.” Sanjay replied, “Frankly speaking I am worried if it is a baby boy again. Even though I do not differentiate, somewhere at the corner of our heart we are scared of our capability of handling two boys and bringing them up.”

“It is stupid Sanjay, I have heard that parents in our type of society try to check for the gender of the baby inside the womb and if it is a girl child, they try ways and means to abort it. There, they give this brainless logic of bringing up a girl child. However, for a male child, I am hearing this type of argument for the first time.” Tina explained to Sanjay with her cup of tea being held on her left hand and the frequency of sipping put on hold.

“I know that Tina and I personally feel it is the most inhumane act of killing the baby in the womb after knowing the gender. I too get disturbed hearing such news. How can parents be so insensitive and heartless?”

“Hmmm, so, may I know what the cause of your concern is? Why are you worried if it will be a baby boy?” Tina asked acting polite.

“Tina, it is the current dirty atmosphere around that is bothering me. Every day we hear lots of news of rape and atrocities against women. I do not know where the society is heading. Is there any morality left inside the hearts of people?”

“True! But then you should be worried if you have a baby girl. Isn’t it?” Tina asked with an element of surprise.

“Why should I be worried on having baby girl Tina? Girls or women are not doing anything wrong. It is the evil inside the males that is spoiling the society. Whenever a boy sees a girl, he thinks only in one direction, a man sees a lonely woman, he starts thinking in only one direction, an employer finds a female staff helpless, a house lord finds the maid vulnerable, a teacher encounters an innocent student, a directors finds a struggling actress, a landlord finds a defenceless tenant or neighbour, they all start thinking in only one direction. Why? Is that the only thing taught by the parents to those males as a kid?”

Tina eyes sparkled with pride, “Good, my darling friend. I am getting the point. So…?”

“So, it is the greatest or the greatest responsibility of a parent to ensure that their son gets the proper social training, a complete moral education on how to treat the opposite gender, the dos and don’ts. They need to mould the boys as kids to align their thinking to finally converge to gentlemen’s thinking as expected by the social ethics and moralities. They need to see that the kids do not get diverted towards social fraud. It is only and only the responsibility of their parents.” Sanjay spelt out all in one breath.

“Oh my my! your way of thinking is just very different. And it appears logical to me too. Now I am bit worried too. My responsibility towards my sons becomes ten folds.” Tina told Sanjay supporting his stream of lateral thinking.

“Yes Tina. It is the parents who are responsible for the crimes against women. For theft, robberies and crimes committed for monetary cause, one can hold circumstances and living standards responsible, but for rapes and atrocities against women or kids, only the person who has committed the crime shall be held responsible. And for that, the upbringing is solely the cause. I really wonder why such cases have to go to the courts. The parents of the crime accused know better about the real truth as they have raised that person.”

“I agree.” Tina said firmly, “Had the parents paid attention on the personality development and character building of their kids, such situation would never had arrived. It is a total miss by a small bunch of the parents and they should realise and accept that fact in public.”

“Yes, and they should stop craving for a male child, if they cannot accept the responsibility and answerability of the deeds and actions of the kid once he is grown up. And I mean it. If my son is found indulged in any such activity, I am finished. So, the canvas of my responsibility is far bigger in the case of a male child than a female child. I hope you agree to that.” Sanjay explained Tina his personal views like an accomplished social lawyer.

“I completely agree Sanjay, and I am proud of being your friend.” Tina said with tears in her eyes, “Don’t worry Sanjay, be it a baby boy or a girl, if parents have and virtuous and gracious thinking like you, the society will always prosper and you too will succeed in performing your duties successfully as an ideal parent.”

“Thanks Tina, I will try to deliver my best. My son may not become a great doctor or an able engineer or a civil servant or a businessman, but I assure you that he will surely become a good and true human being.”