Learning from your child

When a child enters their life, most people think it is time to teach. If a child enters your life, it is time to learn the life what you have forgotten. You had become like a zombie and this little bundle of joy entered your life. Now without knowing, you started laughing, you started singing, you crawled under the sofa along with the child. Life is happening because of him, not because of you. When it comes to life, if we compare you and your child, in 24 hours, who is more joyful? Your child. So who should be the consultant for life? Your child. So it is time you learn life, not teach life.

There is no need to bring your child up. If you make sure that your influence is not big upon your children, they will be fine. If you create a loving and supportive atmosphere around him, they will grow up well. It is just like growing a plant in your garden. If you just see that the atmosphere is fine, the plant will grow to its full capacity. If you go and meddle with it every day, it is not going to grow.

So if you want to bring up your child well, the first thing is that you should be happy. Right now, you, by yourself, do not know how to be happy. Every day in your house there is a demonstration of tension, anger, fear, anxiety and jealousy. These are the only things being demonstrated to your child. He will learn only this. If you really have the intention of bringing up your child well, you must first change your way of being. If you are incapable of transforming yourself, where is the question of bringing up your child?

People understand that to bring up a child lovingly means to get him everything that he asks for. If you look at your child with intelligence, do you see that to get him everything that he asks for is sheer stupidity? You have given the name "love" to this.

All you need to do is create a loving and supportive atmosphere in the house; that is all your business is. Just make sure your children never get to witness what it means to be angry, or miserable, or frustrated. See that the house is filled with joy and love. They will grow up beautifully. Your business is to create the atmosphere, not to teach them your nonsense. If you make sure that you do not mess them up, they will be fine. Bring them up in such a way that they should be able to live joyously in whichever situation they are put in. That is the way they should be brought up, isn't it?

Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service.