Strength and Support

Parents are the source of strength and support to any child. They have to make the right decision at the right time for the wellbeing of their children. The choices they make, reflects on the quality of their child’s life. At 3, 7 or 9, Nandita would have hardly known what to do and how to overcome the challenges that life threw at her, but for the unending effort and tireless support that her parents gave her. What can be more painful to a mother, than watching her child suffer in pain physically and emotionally? What can be more difficult than for a mother to stand by helplessly, not being able to relieve the trauma her child was subjected to? What can be worse for a parent than to watch life being unfair to their child? Yet it is only when parents like these, put their misery behind them and focus solely on fighting the odds, grasping their child’s hand and surging ahead, that we see what it is, to inspire and be inspired. Most parents would have retained their child at home, given the painful circumstances, but not these parents. They put their daughter out into the world, helped her face the reality of life, taught her not to feel sorry for herself, but to live with dignity. “For every don’t in your life, there will always be two do’s” was the constant mantra that Nandita’s parents chanted, getting their spirited daughter to look for the do’s and forget about the don’ts! Every time Nandita felt low about not being able to do the things that her friends did, her parents inculcated in her the joy of sharing and partaking in another’s happiness. At every stage, in every step that Nandita took to resurrect her life, her parents were there, not to prevent her from falling, but to hold her hand and guide her to rise up and walk again. There is so much to learn from the Neroor family, who were like any other, until adversity struck suddenly and turned their world upside down. How they dealt with it takes grit, determination and strength and leaves them as role models for all parents struggling to deal with the smallest of issues. “We had a choice to crib and cry at our plight, or fight fate to the finish” is what they say and “we chose to fight and give our child a chance to overcome”! A lesson to be learned and emulated by everyone!