Children’s Day for me has always been like a second birthday. My parents would shower me with gifts and take me to carnivals. There would also be a celebration in school where the teachers would put up a performance for the students. But Children’s Day last year had been a real eye opener for me. I woke up very early in the morning that day hoping to get a lot of gifts, but I was let down when I found out that my parents had been really busy, and they did not have the time to buy me gifts. In addition to that, they could not take me out anywhere either. My sister was unwell and they were busy taking care of her. I started getting frustrated and throwing tantrums because my expectations were not met. Instantly I knew that this was going to be the worst Children’s Day ever.
My mother tried to console me by apologising for not getting me anything that year. When my father got back and saw my sulking face, he took me for a drive. He stopped by a roadside noodle stall and bought me a plate of noodles. Well that was unusual because it was something that we never did as a family! My mood got a little better as the noodles were tasty. But still, there was no gift. Then my father ordered ten more plates of noodles. I wondered who those were for. Soon there was a queue of about fifteen children around the stall. When I saw the children eat the noodles hungrily and with joy, I was so happy. I wanted to feed more children so we ordered a few more plates and gathered more children. This showed me that Children’s Day isn’t all about taking, it’s about giving too. I felt really happy and satisfied from within as I felt that I had spent the day in a meaningful way. This made my Children’s Day very special.
