Why Kids CRY?

"Pushpaaa,I haaaate tears!!!!"
This dialogue was immortalized by the late Rajesh Khanna in his film Amar Prem. We come into this world bawling aloud and our cry is n indication that the new-born child is alive and kicking.As we grow older,we are taught that crying is a sign of weakness and those who cry are labelled as cry-babies.Boys/Men who cry are looked down upon  and considered as 'girly' or not manly  enough.As kids,each and every one of us has cried.Tears seemed to be our refuge from everything and anything that hurt us-a fight with our friends/cousins,loss of a toy,a fall at the park,absence of parents,a scary serial,a visit to the doctor/dentist........the list goes on.

As a mother, I have seen my daughter becoming teary-eyed  many a times.Similarly ,as a teacher too I have seen so many instances where the kids have come to tears.As a mother and as an experienced teacher I have learnt that the tears of kids should never be taken lightly.As adults, we feel that we bear the bigger burden and kids have it all easy but for kids even the little problems seem huge.As adults we should learn to be patient and understanding towards the problems kids face.We should not ignore or belittle their fears and concerns however minor they seem to us.Look at the problem in their context and you will be able to understand them better and provide the necessary guidance and comfort.

Kids cry for many reasons.I am sharing some of the instances where I ,as a teacher,at an Elementary school for 24 years, have witnessed. I have always said that there is a lot we adults can and should learn from little children.T hese instances bring out the innocence of the little ones and this is why I love kids and my profession which allows me to be with them .Hope these instances bring a smile on your faces too......

• A little girl cries because her classmate calls her a crow(her surname is Kawale)
• A boy cries when he realizes that he has worn his P.E (Physical Education) uniform instead of his regular school uniform.(his mother forgot)
• A boy cries because his classmates tease him because he cannot say royal, rainbow and road.( He cannot pronounce 'R')
• A girl cries because she cannot find her library book which (she says) she had kept in her bag in the morning.
• A boy cries because he has been selected for the singing programme scheduled for the day so he has to miss being a part of the Mini Marathon organized for them on the same day.
• A boy cries because he has been selected to play the role of a cow and he wants to be a farmer.
• A girl cries because her mother told her she will be coming to pick her up after school but she has sent her father instead.
• A girl cries because she has not been selected as a compere for the annual programme just because she got a chance last year.
• A boy cries because he has got the least votes in the class elections for a monitor post.
• A girl cries because the Drawing teacher did not give her a good remark for her beautiful drawing.
• A girl cries because the the monitor wrote her name on the blackboard though she was not talking.( her friend was speaking to her and she was only listening)
• A girl cries because her best friend said "katti" to her because she did not allow her to copy her dictation words.
• A boy cries when his team loses the match and the other class boys show the 'thumbs down' sign to him and jeer him.
• A boy cries because he does not get the window seat in the bus.
• A boy cries because even after trying he cannot draw the face of the Ganpati properly.
• A girl cries when she cannot find the purple crayon.
• A boy cries because another boy has broken his crayon while he was using it.
• A boy cries because another boy snatched the book he wanted to issue for himself from the school library.
• A girl cries because her class teacher took her in the dancing group and she wanted to be a part of the singing group.
• A girl cries because her mother wants her to participate in the Olympiad exam though wants to participate in the Drawing competition.
• A girl cries because the vegetable biryani her mother gave her for lunch is very spicy.
• A kindergarten child is in tears because her teacher is absent .
• A boy cries because another boy tore his favourite kite which he had made for Craft.
• A girl cries because she cannot tie her hair properly as she has lost her ribbon.
• A girl cries because she dropped her food during lunch break and it was her favourite 'pav-bhaji'.
• A girl cries because a boy always pulls her hair.
• A boy cries because his friends tease him.
• A boy cries because he has not completed his homework.
• A boy cries because he does not know the answer to a question in the Appraisal paper and his mother will scold him for that.
• A girl cries because she could not complete her answer paper at the test.
• A girl cries because her teacher has called her parents to meet her.
• A boy cries because his teacher scolds him for spilling water again.
• A boy cries because he forgot to bring his pencil-box to school.
• A boy cries because he was not selected for the final race.
• A boy cries because his picture was not selected to be put up on the notice board.

There are many more instances where I have seen students cry in school. their little problems seem huge to them. their life revolves around little things like these so it is no wonder that they take them so seriously, even we did the same when we were kids but we have conveniently forgotten those golden years. So next time you see a kid in tears don't ridicule or ignore them, show your concern and pacify them, it helps.