Kids are always thrilled and fascinated by festivals, especially when they are celebrated at home with all their dear ones. No one can say what makes them happier. Is it the holidays? New clothes? The food? The generous amount of sweets? The gifts? Or is it all of these? Well, one thing is for sure. It is kids that make any festival an affair to cherish. So, this Ganesh Chathurthi let us all focus on our little ones and make them realize that it is in fact they who are being celebrated. After all, wasn’t Lord Ganesha the naughtiest and yet the most adorable and loving child to his parents?
Ganesh Chaturthi is not just about the poojas, the rituals, the offerings, or the final immersion of the idol. It is the worship and celebration of a divine spirit who is at the same time a powerful god and an obedient son, a destroyer of vighnas or obstacles and an impish mischief maker. He may be a commander, but he also gets chided by his parents. He is a wish granter, but he kneels down for blessings from his elders. He is the perfect role model, the symbol of dual duties in life that we all must perform at some point or other. It is this spirit of Ganesh Chaturthi that we must celebrate with our kids. Whatever they become in life, whichever position they achieve, when they come back to their family they have to fulfill their duties and responsibilities just as any other member. They have to be sober or playful as the situation demands. They must lead with confidence and yet be prepared to be criticized. If Ganesha can withstand the worst, they too can show great resilience. This is what we as parents should try to inculcate in our children by celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi.
Let this Ganesh Chaturthi be the occasion to pass down the wisdom of life to our children, in a way they can understand. Tell them stories of Lord Ganesha and how he had performed his duties as a son and kept his promise to his mother regardless of whatever he had to endure. Kids are more attentive when the story is about a little brat like them. How about a role play story telling session? Rope in all the members of the family. Let all your kids get a chance to become Little Ganesha. Look at their innocent faces beaming with excitement and pride! Ask them to bless everyone. Now, kids may wonder how the young can bless the elders. This is your opportunity to make them realize that it is not age or size or position that determines a person’s worth, but his noble deeds. And, before the Lord, all are equal.
This benign and benevolent deity sure is the greatest teacher for our kids. Let us all try to make the best use of this festive season by bringing in the spirit of Ganesha’s life into our houses and into the minds of our precious ones.
