Tug of War

Once again, everybody in Marietta’s family is quarrelling over watching the TV - just like they do every day! Marietta’s brother wants to watch a cricket match while little Susan is eager to watch her favourite programme of song’s. Mummy and Aunty are good friends but their favourite TV programmes are different. Mummy likes to watch the news while Aunty enjoys a TV serial. Marietta wants to watch cartoons and Daddy enjoys the football match. He says that he can watch TV only in the evening. Finally, everyone had to watch the football match.

Let us talk

• In your home too, do people quarrel over fans, TV, newspapers, chairs or anything else?

• In your home, who settles such quarrels?

• Talk about an interesting incident at home when there was a quarrel over such things.

• Have you ever seen people quarrelling over something elsewhere? What?

Why the Difference?

It is 7 o’clock in the evening. Pratibha is hurrying home from her friend’s house. Her brothers Sandeep and Sanjay are busy playing round the corner with their friends.

Even if they are late, nobody will scold them.

Pratibha thinks that this is not fair. Why should there be one rule for her and another for her brothers? But what can she do?

Let us talk

• Does this kind of thing happen in your house or in any of your friend’s house? What do you think about this?

• Do you think that there should be different rules for girls and boys, women and men?

• Think - what would happen if girls had to follow rules made for boys and boys had to follow rules made for girls.

Pilloo Aunty

One day, Pilloo Aunty took Phali and Nazu and their friends to the beach. What a good time they had! They played in sand and water, and then went for a ride on the Giant wheel. After that they ate bhelpuri and bought balloons. Then everybody enjoyed some icy cold kulfi. When the kulfi-seller asked for money, he made a mistake. He charged for five kulfis instead of seven. The children thought, “Hurrah! We have saved money.” But Pilloo Aunty paid the money for seven kulfis to the kulfiseller.

The children will always remember what Pilloo Aunty did that day.

• If you were to write a different ending for this story, how will you end it?

• Is there anyone in your family who is like Pilloo Aunty? Who?

• What would the children have thought if Pilloo Aunty had paid less money to the kulfi-seller? What do you think about this?

What Should I Do?

Akshay loves his grandmother very much. She loves him dearly too. She talks to him about many interesting things. Anil is Akshay’s friend. His grandmother likes Anil too, but one thing that she tells Akshay again and again is that he should never eat or drink anything at Anil’s house - not even a glass of water! “They are very different from our family,” she says.

One day there was a volleyball match in the big ground near Anil’s house. It was a hot day and everybody was tired and thirsty after the match. Anil invited everybody home. Anil’s mother gave water to all of them, and they drank it. When Anil handed Akshay a glass of water, he suddenly remembered his grandmother’s warning. Akshay stared at Anil, not knowing what to do.

Talk about it

• What do you think Akshay will do?

• Why was Akshay confused?

• Why do you think Akshay’s grandmother warned him not to drink even water in Anil’s house?

• Do you know of anybody who thinks like Akshay’s grandmother?

• Do you agree with Akshay’s grandmother?

• What do you think Akshay should do?

Who will Decide?

Dhondu comes from a very large family. His elder uncle looks after the family - their fields, money matters, etc. He decides about all the small and big things for the family.

Dhondu has always worked in the fields. But now, he wants to do something different. He would like to borrow some money from a bank and buy a chakki machine to grind grain. There is no such machine in their village. Dhondu is confident that this new work will help him earn more money for his family. Father has agreed to let him try the new work. But his elder uncle is not agreeing to this.

For the teacher: These examples reflect some situations that we face in our daily life. These often affect us in different ways. Encourage children to think about these and to express how they feel about them.

Talk about it

• If you were in Dhondu’s place what would you do?

• Has it ever happened with you that you wanted to do something but the elders in the family did not allow you?

• Who takes important decisions in your family? What do you feel about this?

• How would you like if only one person made all the decisions for your family?

I Don’t Like It!

Meena and Ritu were going home after playing hopscotch. “Come on, come to my house,” pleaded Meena, pulling Ritu by the hand.

“Is your Uncle at home? If he is, I will not come,” Ritu answered.

“But why do you say that? Uncle likes you. He was saying - bring your friend Ritu home and I will give both of you lots of chocolate.”

Ritu pulled her hand away from Meena saying, “I am scared of your Uncle. I do not like it when he even touches my hand.”

Saying this, Ritu went home.

For the teacher: Some children may have similar experiences as Ritu did. It will help to build their confidence and feeling of support, if children can discuss this in class. In case you feel the need, you could talk individually with some of the children. If there is a counsellor in the school, you could take their help.

Talk about it

• Have you ever disliked anybody’s touch? Whose touch did you dislike?

• If you were in Ritu’s place, what would you do?

• What else can be done when such things happen? Discuss.

• Everybody’s touch is not the same. Ritu did not like it when Meena’s uncle held her hand, but she liked to hold Meena’s hand. Why do you think there was this difference?

For the teacher: You may be very careful and sensitive to deal with children if they wish to share problems related to drug addiction of their family members. The harmful effects of drugs/ narcotics may be discussed in the class. Such issues should also be discussed in the inservice training programmes.

It may be possible that children from such families (Drug addicted members) may fall victim to such habits/practices. A timely action needs to be taken to prevent them. On this theme, charts and posters can be prepared by the children with the support of teachers and discuss in the class.