Bedtime stories for kids

Better late than never

Sharan was a casual, easy going boy studying in 6th standard. He was not serious about his studies at all. He liked to play and spend time with his friends rather than pursuing anything with dedication in particular. He scored low marks in monthly class tests and used to get scolding from his teachers for his poor performance. Nothing seemed to bother him.

One day, after school, the friends with whom he always used to play in the evenings were not available. He inevitably had to get back home early. His mother was surprised to see him at home in the evening. She gave him milk and evening snacks and came to talk to him casually. He didn't show interest in his mother and was trying to think how to spend time at home without friends. Mother asked, "How are you doing in school these days Sharan"? Sharan said, "Not that great mom. Things are just going on". Mother then said, "You must be left with another 3 months for exams right, why don't you give a thought about it today as you are early and have time"? Sharan thought it was a nice idea as he had not studied for quite a long time and studying for some time might give him a break from his daily routine.

Sharan finished his snacks and milk quickly and went to his room with his school bag. Mother observed this change in his behavior and thought this would be the right time to make him understand his responsibility as a student. Sharan opened his text books of all subjects and started going through the contents page. Very soon his interest in books faded away. His face was filled with anxiety and fear. The thought of exam started seeping into his mind and he simply sat staring at the books. Mom came into his room and saw her son sitting helplessly. She went near him and massaged his head and asked him calmly, "what happened"? Sharan broke down and started crying like a baby. Mother asked him to stop crying and share with her what's going on in his mind.

Sharan showed his text books and said, "Mom, as you said, I'm left with 3 months for exams and I don't know a word in these books. How will I pass this time"? Mother then said, "Sharan, you cannot drink all of the sea water without drinking drop by drop. Likewise, you cannot conquer the world without conquering cities, states, countries and so on. If you see the text books as a whole, it seems difficult to assimilate all these concepts at once. Conquer the whole by dividing. Every day, spend an hour in the morning for Mathematics. Keep an hour in the evening for another subject and another hour for homework and other school activities. You yourself will see the difference in a month".

Sharan took mother's words seriously and asked his mother to help if he deviates from his new time table. Next day, he got up an hour early with full enthusiasm and started with first chapter in Mathematics. He was very slow. By the end of an hour he was able to solve only 10 problems. He was disappointed. His Mother motivated him to pursue further and not lose hope.

In the evening, after he came back from school, Sharan did not go out to play and wanted to study. His Mother let him out to play for some time and instructed him to strictly get back home in an hour. During play, he lost track of time. But his mother came to take him back home from playground. Sharan was surprised. He asked his mother curiously, "Mom, till now, no matter how I performed, you never said anything to me or helped me in any way to improve my performance in studies. How come suddenly you have started following up on me"? His mother smilingly replied, "till now you never approached me for any help. So I didn't want to interfere. Now that you have approached me with your problem, I want to help you get through it". Sharan was very happy listening to this and from then on he listened to every word his mother told him and worked very hard.

Exams soon approached and Sharan did his best. It was time for the results. Parents were called by the class teachers for the Parents Teachers' Meeting to give the results. Sharan's class teacher was very surprised and happy to share his results with his mother. Sharan had secured 78% in the exams! Sharan said, "Sorry mom, I could not conquer the whole world. I could do only Asia and Europe"! Mom smilingly hugged her son and said "I'm proud of you".