Taking away her Childhood.

There she was, sitting inside a car, in a peach salwar kurta, taking care of a baby. She appeared to be such an expert, doing everything with such ease, it was hard to believe. Even the mother wouldn’t have been so great with her own child. How can she be? She has other important things to do. Yes.

This girl was playing a role she was not expected to, so early in life. So what if she herself was a baby inside, so what if she still had those “Barbie Doll” dreams, so what if she still wanted someone to look after her!  She was poor and her parents wanted her to work, she was only being an obedient daughter.

My heart aches every time I see children working. It is sad enough to see them struggle to get the basic amenities, but to see their childhood being taken away and how! What must be her thoughts, as she sits in those cars, and goes to those expensive restaurants with their “malkins”, or attends those high society kitty parties and goes shopping in the malls? She dreams. Dreams that are not so easy to achieve, dreams that will break sooner or later, and hurt her bad! But what other option does she have? Children dream, don’t they?

So how do we protect her from the pain she feels when she can’t conquer her dreams? I think we cannot. As long as she is amongst those birds with huge wings, she would want to fly.

What if the mother did take a little responsibility of her baby, would that free the little girl too, not really. She will be pushed to do something else, something equally charming to the eye, equally disturbing to her soul. I wouldn’t know exactly what it takes to be among those under privileged ones, for I have my wishes fulfilled in no time, and dreams become reality just as easy. But to be in her place and be greedy for the love and attention is unimaginable.

Seeing her that day was a very insignificant thing, for the most of us, who really has the time to wonder about her life, we are all stuck so badly in ours. But the thought triggered so many questions. Questions I have no answers to. Questions that will remain. Only if I could reach out to her, make her sit close to me, give her a candy and listen her talk, talk about her dreams …talk about how she will reach out to them one day!

Every child has a right to those childhood memories; try to be the provider to as many as you can. It will make the child in you happy!