THE 'X' FACTOR IN LIFE!

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Life has turned 'xtremely competitive.


                                                                                                       Medium

I recall my own school days when studies were not a bugbear, and tuitions were only for those who needed a helping hand.

After school, a whole gang of us would gulp down our coffee/ tea/ juice and be off like a flash to the playground where we would flex our almost non-existent muscles and 'xpend all our energy tearing about like little streaks of lightning. Hide-n-seek, Dodgeball, Stapo, Catch... the choices were myriad, but by 6.30 pm, mothers' voices would be heard in the twilight, calling out names, their eyes trying to pierce through the dim shadows to identify their offspring.

How life has transformed today! Many children go straight to coaching centres and tuitions after school. Even though they are 'xhausted after the hurly-burly of normal school, they sit through the grind, either for themselves or for their parents.


                                                                                                Shutterstock

On reaching home, they have a quick wash, and have a tiny break in which they watch something on their devices... mental activity, but sadly no physical movement. Break over, they sit down in front of their books to complete their homework/ projects.

By dinner time, they droop like little flowers, their eyelids closing as they struggle to stay awake, too tired to respond to their parents' queries about school, their friends, ‘xtra-curricular activities or academics. Voila, the day is done!

Luckily, Zo and Sam are too young to have been caught up in the academic labyrinth. Their day ends at around 3, but they have their ‘xtra murals in the second half which includes netball, art and design, ball skills and public speaking. Zo is into netball matches and Sam loves basketball. He dribbles like a little pro. They are both waiting with ‘xcitement for a netball/basketball hoop at home.

The spectre of social media has wound itself around everyone, children not ‘xcluded. The other day, Sam came to me and said wistfully, “Mooma, I wish I had WhatsApp on my phone. Zo has it on hers.”

I ‘xplained to him that Zo had got the App when she was eight and that he had more than two and a half years to go. “Awww, not fair!” was his comment. The niggling problems that little ones face!


                                                                              WhatsApp image - Freepik

I go through Zo’s school notebooks which are colourful. Her work is neat and punctuated with comments from her teacher – ‘xcellent, ‘xtraordinary work, ‘Well done’, and ‘I am impressed’. Sam’s teacher is also equally ‘xpressive and lets her comments speak for themselves. They use stickers with emojis and hearts. Last time, when I went back to India from Johannesburg, I picked up a whole lot of stickers which I use in school. The sight of those hearts and tiny messages makes me feel warm and fuzzy and I can only imagine how ‘xhilarated children get when they view them on their notebooks. After all, a compliment a day goes a long way!


                                                                                                    Amazon.in

It is no fallacy that often children who do ‘xceedingly well in school sometimes get nowhere in life. The reverse is also true. Often, back benchers and drop-outs perform brilliantly in life. There are so many in’xplicable factors that come into play, factors that may not seem significant in the growing years, but come into their own, later on in life. That is the true mystery of life, after all, and one never knows what it is that can turn into that ‘X Factor’ that helps one to succeed in life,

Wikipedia

I am participating in the #BlogchatterA2ZChallenge2025.

https://deepties.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-x-factor-in-life.html

Comments

  1. Kalpana Nagarajan4/28/2025 10:40:00 PM

    Xotic ....😘

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nibhz4/28/2025 11:08:00 PM

    True! The life has become too competitive for kids these days!

    ReplyDelete
  3. A Rustic Mind4/29/2025 07:27:00 PM

    Loved the nostalgic vibe of this piece! It's such a warm contrast between carefree childhood and today's intense academic hustle—makes you miss the simpler times. “After school, a whole gang of us would gulp down our coffee/ tea/ juice and be off like a flash to the playground where we would flex our almost non-existent muscles and 'xpend all our energy tearing about like little streaks of lightning.”- Beautifully captures the freedom, energy, and innocence of childhood play—something many kids today are missing out on due to packed schedules and academic pressure.

    ReplyDelete

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