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Friends



Had it not been for a couple of messages I received, I would not have known that today was Friendship Day.  One of the messages said, “Happy friendship day to the most fantastic friend.  Thanx for being my frd sir...”  It came from a past student.  I found it both amusing and encouraging.  Amusing, because the sender of that message is 36 years younger than me.  Encouraging, because I believe the best teacher is a friend to his/her students especially if the students are adolescents. 

Teaching adolescents is fun.  Because they teach me more than I teach them.  Also because I think I’m an adolescent at heart.  In fact, a few months back one of my present students remarked that in the class.  And I laughed nodding in agreement.

Adolescents are excellent friends.  In fact, their loyalty in friendship has no parallel in any other period of human growth and development.  Every parent who is struggling to deal with an adolescent son or daughter can take this counsel: be a good friend to your offspring and 90% of problems will vanish.

My observation is that the adults ruin the adolescents with their mood swings, demands that don’t understand the quintessential adolescent rebelliousness, and – worst of all – adult politics.  There’s nobody on the earth who understands candidness better than the adolescents. 

This does not mean that adolescents can be entrusted to themselves entirely.  Not at all; they need ‘good’ friends.  And that’s just what they need.


Happy friendship day to all my adult readers, especially those who have adolescent children. 

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Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 3, 2014 at 7:34 PM

    Happy friendship days to you too.....it is so good to find some fondness and affinity in blogging community

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nima DasAugust 3, 2014 at 8:00 PM

    I too share your views about teens. Being a friend is the best way . I too teach teenagers. and this is my take on them too.The best time of the day is when i am with my young students inside the class,telling them stories from the past,talking and interacting with them.i forget all my woes and physical pains and aches when i am with them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalAugust 3, 2014 at 9:20 PM

      It's a challenge too, Nima, I'm sure you'll agree.

      Delete
  3. ManiparnaAugust 3, 2014 at 9:52 PM

    I agree , being a friend is the best way....so that they can share their follies and successes with us..

    Happy Friendship Day to you too Sir... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Roohi BhatnagarAugust 3, 2014 at 10:10 PM

    :) Happy Friendship day Tomichan,.. Glad I found a wonderful person with nice thoughts through blogging..

    ReplyDelete
  5. Online JournalistAugust 4, 2014 at 10:43 AM

    Happy 'Friendship Day' to all my Blogger Community Friends including Tomichan Sir.
    Though we have not seen one another, I love you all and am thankful to you all for visiting my blog and adding your comments on it and thus promoting it and increasing my blog traffic and $$$ taking me also to one of the Leading and top earning Bloggers of India.
    Thanks one and all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalAugust 4, 2014 at 1:21 PM

      This is a very interesting comment. I've been blogging for over a decade now, but am yet to earn a single dollar :)

      Give me your address and I'll visit you in Oct-Nov since I may be coming over to AP for certain work.

      Delete
  6. Anita SabatAugust 4, 2014 at 11:21 AM

    Very true, Sir.
    Agree with your observations.
    May we all be friends. The world will be a better place...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalAugust 4, 2014 at 1:21 PM

      If all people are genuinely concerned about other people, the world will be a paradise, Anita. Best wishes.

      Delete
  7. NamrotaAugust 4, 2014 at 11:38 AM

    Totally agree with you sir...and friendship is beyond age or gender any such categories.

    Happy friendship day to you too :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. BikramAugust 4, 2014 at 4:26 PM

    you are right sir, I dont know why we lose all that innocense as we grow up ..

    I hope every day is friendship day so it becomes a beautiful place to live in without any problems ..

    I am glad I came over this blog first time on such a good day Friendship day .. :)


    Bikram's

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownAugust 13, 2014 at 2:16 PM

    Friendship with adolescents in itself is a challenge because as an adult you are used to weighing pros and cons and looking for benefits for yourself. This sort of a friendship surely will teach us a lot more, agree totally about candidness as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalAugust 14, 2014 at 10:11 AM

      Unless you have an adolescent inside yourself it becomes difficult to deal with adolescents. That's why most adults seem to have problem with adolescents. But the adult inside us should be mature too; otherwise we will only create problems. Glad you could relate to the post.

      Delete
  10. wingsAugust 30, 2014 at 7:05 PM

    Sir, You may read this comment or not, I should agree with you that adolescents need a friendly touch which many adults do not understand. Actually to make friendship with an adolescent is an art. Some people call it a way to spoil the so called "child". What to do with such egoistic and rebellious adult adolescents?!

    ReplyDelete

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