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A dilemma

MSC archived stories - September 25, 2021

Neha and Nelson, two of my eleven year olds with totally different upbringings recently shared with me a problem they both have.. bit rebellious, so their parents like nothing else to do but scolding at them all day long to put things right. Okay, I was thinking.. isn't this normal childhood behavior?

Wait.. there is another side to this story. If you believe in, the 2 children were born to the same zodiac sign, and despite their vastly different cultural backgrounds in Asia and the Caribbean they felt comfortable sharing with me such personal character traits. It makes you think the impact you have on your child can be so profound that they want to seek your help! So, what would you do in this situation – just ignore or say something?

For those who have seen the documentary of the Colombia Wind Orchestra will know the inspiring conductor, Prof. Juan Carlos in Barranquilla. I stood awake that night to watch the premier, and what captivated me the most was his wonderful motto.. "attitude, attitude, attitude"!!!

There I had something to tell Neha and Nelson, so wrote them back to think about this. Using the corresponding number of each letter in the English alphabet, how do these 3 words – KNOWLEDGE, HARDWORK and ATTITUDE score (adds up out of 100) to tell you something important in life..

Can you see what I meant?

Comments

  1. chelaka27 March 2025 at 22:18

    barbmc
    It tells me that children confined in tiny houses with their parents and siblings for such long periods (over a year now) instead of doing the normal things that children do like playing outside, socializing with their friends, going to school, playing sports, celebrating national holidays, ect are being impacted by the social isolation covid causes. It's happening everywhere. CI is very aware of it and doing their best to help. They've developed new programs meant to specifically address this issue. It's a growing problem for CI and is happening in developed countries and third world countries all over the world. Sad!

    September 26, 2021

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  2. chelaka27 March 2025 at 22:18

    Got it Chelaka! U R obviously ready and able to handle this dilemma. 👍On my end, I’m reminded of the imagery of a diamond. How to get them to sparkle more, how else but thru polishing… Good luck, nice that the kids R finding a friend in U.

    September 26, 2021

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  3. chelaka27 March 2025 at 22:18

    Thanks Barb, Well spotted! I can imagine due to the pandemic alongside job losses must have exacerbated the situation in families, though Nelson has had this problem for sometime now.

    September 26, 2021

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  4. chelaka27 March 2025 at 22:18

    Hi peppy – Thanks for checking the calculation. Just like you, hope and inspiration in abundance at my disposal!

    September 26, 2021

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  5. chelaka27 March 2025 at 22:19

    Hi Chelaka, it look like they trust you now. I would not ignore what they say, but I would not try to make them change either, just maybe tell them you understand and give them another option of what they could be doing instead or an anecdocte of something similar that you experienced..

    September 26, 2021

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  6. chelaka27 March 2025 at 22:19

    Hi Marie, Thanks for the suggestion. Of course without knowing specifics it's hard to offer any advice. It could be that both children want me to know that how much their parents affectionately care about, which is perfectly fine. Even though too much scolding can make children anxious, which can lead to ignorance, they were courageous enough to share it with me, and now know that I listened – that's important!

    September 27, 2021

    ReplyDelete
  7. chelaka27 March 2025 at 22:19

    barbmc
    There is no way a sponsor can know what the actual problem is. It could be a medical condition like ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a mental condition like depression, it could be the results of an alcoholic parent, or many other things, or a combination of things. Even for a child psychiatrist diagnosing a child correctly can be difficult. I'd suggest discussing your concerns with CI because they've had experience dealing with these kinds of problems in the past, but it is a difficult problem for CI to address right now. CI can't disclose this kind of information to sponsors without the parents consent. I'm sure listening to our sponsored children, showing how much you care about them, and not judging them means the world to them!. It's their rock in a crazy, scary, unpredictable, covid world!

    September 28, 2021

    ReplyDelete

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