On Saturday my neighbor Pradeep came to me in the morning at about 9 with some pakoras. He mentioned that he will be going to a school in Goregaon called "Yashodham" to collect forms for his son's admission. He asked me if I would like to join him. I thought that sooner or later this exercise has to be done so I decided to go with him.
Manu is not even 2 years and by the time the session start; he will be about two and a half years old. Old enough to not pee in his pants but not old enough to even understand the concept of school and education. I guess we are rushing our kids to school at an age when they should be playing.
Mira and I always used to discuss that why do people send the kids to school so early. There are people who send the kinds to these supposed play school when they are not even two. “If it so damn hard to raise kids, why do they have kids then” She used to ask. Now we are doing the same thing.
Dad is planning to send me to school. I might as well start looking for some jobs too.
Even at the age of 34 the trauma of first going to school is still fresh in my mind. I don't know why I still remember it, as I was very young at that age, but I do remember it. In my home in Delhi, we used to keep the beddings including pillows on a table and when I was told that I would be going to school, I stood there clutching the bedding and crying. Maybe going to school was so hard on me as I am not a very social person and don't feel very comfortable (even now) when I am surrounded by a lot of strangers. May be going to school was not a very pleasant experience because I never wanted to study what I was taught in the school, I wanted to explore the world in a different way.
I know it was not a very nice experience, I know it is not right to send kids to school at such a young age but still I am putting Manu through all that. He is a very social kid and like meeting new people, he may like going to school but still the fact remains that instead of trying to curb the creativity and imagination of a young kid by schooling him, we should let him run around and compose his own song...so to speak.
I will be sending him to school because of two reasons. One is the fact that if I don't send him to school now, it may be difficult later on as they may not take him. The form I have got says that they will take kids born in 2004, no relaxation will be given. The options next year will be limited and apart from that, it is quite likely that he will have to sit in a class with kids one year younger than him which I don't think is such a great idea.
