Five Habits I Want To Break In My Child

“One time, that wicked king of the Daityas saw his son of lotus-like face and beautiful eyes, surrounded by women, having returned from the home of the guru. In his hand, that boy was holding a slate which had the mark of a chakra at the top and the name of Krishna written with great adoration.” (Narasimha Purana, 41.35-36)

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तं पद्मवक्त्रं दैत्येन्द्रः कदाचित् स्त्रीवृतः खलः
बालं गुरुगृहायातं ददर्श स्वायतेक्षणम्
गृहीत्वा तु करे पुत्रं पट्टिका या सुशोभना
मूर्ध्नि चक्राङ्किता पट्टी कृष्णनामाङ्कितादरात्

taṃ padmavaktraṃ daityendraḥ kadācit strīvṛtaḥ khalaḥ
bālaṃ gurugṛhāyātaṃ dadarśa svāyatekṣaṇam
gṛhītvā tu kare putraṃ paṭṭikā yā suśobhanā
mūrdhni cakrāṅkitā paṭṭī kṛṣṇanāmāṅkitādarāt

1. The phone

“I am telling you right now, it is not good for them. Raising a child should not be this difficult. You simply say, ‘no’. Say it repeatedly. Over and over. Whether they yell or scream. Whether they complain for an hour straight or accept what you have to say and move on. They are small. They do not know better. You can make up a story, if you want, as justification for denying this thing or that.

“The phone is like erasing all of the progress you have made in discipline. It teaches the child to expect everything to manifest instantly. They will never develop patience. They will never have appreciation for how rare it is to have something like a video to watch or a game to play. They will be spoiled in both the intermediate and longer terms. Take the phone away, and let them find other ways to pass the time. Trust me on this.”

2. The sugar

“They are running right now because of all the candy you gave them. That horrible eczema on their arms is due to the sugar. This food is unnecessary. Feed them appropriately, after lengthy intervals. Let them eat as much as they want. Do not stuff junk food in their face. You are going to ruin their patience. Their senses will be constantly agitated, and they will be more difficult to deal with, as a result.”

3. The yelling

“This has to stop. They cannot yell like a wild animal. This is a behavioral issue, entirely. We have not given them any of those poison injections forced by the medical establishment, which is now run by quacks. This means that the yelling is due to lack of discipline. You are not doing the job properly. It is almost like you prefer making them upset. You are jealous of the attention they receive. Is that it? I am not sure, but you have to stop. Develop a rivalry with someone your own age.”

4. The talking

“Do you know how stressful it is to take them anywhere? They cannot sit quietly for more than five minutes. This is entirely your fault. You never instilled discipline and respect. To constantly talk nonsense is to be lacking coherence in thought. A person who knows things as they are adjusts their behavior to the time and circumstance. They do not pester others for no reason.”

5. The worship

Of all things, why would a parent be worried about worship? Why would they be concerned their child has a natural interest in appreciating the source of everything? After all, appreciation starts at home. The child should thank the parents for the protection they offer. The father goes out to work to earn a living. In modern times, the mother often has to get a job, as well. This is simply to keep up with the monthly bills, what to speak of saving up for future emergencies.

The child can extend their appreciation to the other family members, to the community, to the nation, to the clouds, to the sun, and to the entire collective that is nature. There should be nothing wrong with showing such appreciation, especially when it is unsolicited. If the child has figured things out at a young age, without explicit encouragement, it is a wonderful boon. They are showing intelligence early on.

The worship of the highest being of all is merely extending the appreciation to encompass everything. With Prahlada Maharaja, the worship was without expectation of reward. Prahlada was not trying to win a contest at the local temple. He was not looking to snap a photograph holding the certificate for “best devotee”. Prahlada was not trying to impress others with his knowledge of shastra. He was not trying to gain leverage against a benefactor, to later exchange for something better.

The devotion in Prahlada was so pure and innocent that it was like something done in the spare time. In the manner that a child may play video games when returning home from a long day at school. They draw images on paper. They write names of people that they like. Prahlada used his slate as a tool for worship. He drew the chakra, which is a symbol associated with Lord Vishnu. Prahlada wrote the name of Krishna, which is a word to describe the same Vishnu.

The father objected. The father protested. The father injected his opinion. The father agitated. Eventually, the father rejected. The worship would not be tolerated; at least not in the kingdom of the Daityas. Prahlada received no leniency for being the son of the king. Rather, the conjured up justification was that Prahlada’s devotion indicated signs of deviancy, of a consciousness gone astray. Prahlada was like a deadly snake that had to be dealt with expeditiously.

The devotees will always look like the crazy ones to the people who are mired in sense gratification. To the ones who are always envious, who are never satisfied, who are always chasing this desire and that, the fear is real. The fear is that a rival will emerge, to one day usurp authority. Hiranyakashipu was afraid of his own son, of a mere five years of age, due to the devotion to Vishnu. It was a habit that the father could not break, and eventually Vishnu decided to take the amazing form of Narasimha to prove that God indeed delivers His devotees.

In Closing:

A habit I don’t want to break,
That daily the slate to take.

And name of Krishna to write,
Most beautiful chakra sight.

Thought at first my father proud,
When shared my inclination aloud.

Now ready possibly to kill,
Since failed at misery to instill.