What Children Need

Ihave often been asked if being a member of the royal family of Jaipur made my childhood different and more exciting than usual. I always struggle to answer this. Yes, my childhood was exciting and full of fun but just as it is for any other kid of that time. My father, Late Brigadier HH Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh MVC was a true soldier at heart, having served the armed forces for more than two decades, and it was thanks to him and the grooming given to me by my mother Rajmata Padmini Devi, that I got a very balanced upbringing. My parents were careful to make me understand the difference between the cost and the value of things we have with us. Although they could have easily provided me with whatever I asked of them, they took care to give me what was required and not just desired by me. Today, whatever I am, I attribute it to the balanced upbringing I got as a child. My father would often be away serving the nation but my mother was always there for me, to cater to my emotional needs. She always took care that I remained connected to my father when he would be away and of course my father would always come back and make up for the time lost …not by showering me with gifts, but showering me with his love and attention and telling me stories of courage, valour, bravery, and values which should be cherished as a citizen of our country and as a good human being.

Hence, it saddens me to see the young parents of today, who have no time for their children and end up substituting their presence with expensive gifts, toys, games … which leaves the child bereft of the love, security, attention and care which he requires. It’s not that my parents had all the time in the world! Apart from his duties towards the nation, my father also had to take care of his duties towards his state and his city. The most important quality that I imbibed from my father was humility. His life and deeds were a living example of how humility is one of the greatest strengths a person can possess. My mother had her hands full managing the family Trust and day to day affairs of the City Palace, which kept her occupied all the time. Yet, my parents took out time for me. They ensured that I received the care, love and attention I needed.

I studied in Modern Public School, Delhi and Maharani Gayatri Devi Public School, Jaipur. As a student, my life was not easy. I always got flustered when the lessons used to be delivered primarily through lecture method with hardly any practical lessons or experiential lessons imparted. It was during my student years that I felt that I would try and make a difference in the education sector in whichever capacity I could in future. So it was that when the time came to put my son to school, I decided to open a school

with a difference wherein the children would have experiential learning which would lead to their holistic development. With the support and encouragement of my parents, I opened my first school within the premises of the City Palace and hence we named it The Palace School. It was based on the tenets of Maria Montessori as I believe the Montessori system is one of the most progressive and comprehensive systems of learning, which caters to every need of a growing child. My second school, Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School, came up a couple of years later. Both the schools are doing an excellent job of imparting 21st century skills to the students. A lot of care is taken to ensure that the teachinglearning process results in enhancing the critical thinking, creative thinking and problem-solving skills along with strengthening the decision-making abilities of the students. It is important that the parents and teachers understand the importance of honing these skills in children today.

Our children, since childhood, are unwittingly programmed for success but are not trained to handle failure. The child’s psyche starts getting a shape with all the visual, auditory and emotional inputs which he receives from the environment around him. Unfortunately, most of the time, the parents are not available for the child—emotionally—with the result lots of children today are growing up with poor emotional quotient, leaving them vulnerable instead of empowered while dealing with the rigours of day to day life. As a mother, with an extremely busy and hectic schedule, looking after my family business, my political duties, being part of various projects and enterprises, it is sometimes difficult to balance my personal and professional life. Yet, I am conscious of the fact that anybody can do the professional/ political work that I do but no one can step into my shoes as a mother to my children. Hence, I make sure I am there for them whenever they need me. Sometimes, I feel that being a parent is like walking on a tight rope. It is difficult to maintain the balance between being a firm, strict parent and being a friend to your children. I personally feel while it is essential to be friendly with one’s children, one should not become a friend. The child needs a parent, who can guide and correct them… children have enough friends in their life, but only one parent.

I would like to end by saying that it’s not important just to be a good parent or a good teacher. It is more important to be a conscious parent, a conscious teacher and a responsible adult. For the way we talk and behave in front of our children, is how they will shape up in future. Our voice and our actions become their inner voice and the triggers for their reactions.