Bestowed Dreams In Disguise

Rose a doctor and Rumi an engineer, both respected and successful in their respective fields, had left their dream to become parents on back burner, as they raced towards their individual dreams. But after achieving what they wanted in their careers, they decided to become parents. After a few years, they were finally blessed with twin boys, whom they named Meherzad and Meherdad. Meherzad meaning offspring of the Sun while Meherdad meaning gift from the Sun. Both parents wanted their boys to grow and shine like the Sun. Though they loved their boys dearly, both parents fought over their boy’s choice of careers. But the boys had their own individual dreams. While Meherdad was good in arts, Meherzad was good in sports. Both not inclined towards academics and struggled to get good grades. As twins, they were always prone to comparison. Consciously and unconsciously compared to each other as well as with other children. Both parents disguised their dreams and forced the boys to accept their so-called bestowed dreams. Both parents were at loggerheads and the atmosphere at home was rarely peaceful. Constant peer pressure, continuous parent’s bickering made them feel uneasy most of the times at home. Their house at times felt like a fish-market or a debate-ground but never a home. Hence both preferred to stay out, spending most of their time with their own group of friends.

Each day the boys grew increasingly frustrated, and one day, while they were home alone, they broke into a verbal fight which turned physical. Both brothers accused each other for not being intelligent enough and incapable of fulfilling their parent’s dreams. From the edge of the staircase, both fell down in their fit of rage. Meherzad broke his right wrist while Meherdad one of his hipbones. Both parents rushed to the hospital and waited eagerly for the prognosis while introspecting what went wrong. When the doctor relayed their boy’s condition, both parents stood transfixed, their eyes watery, throat voiceless. Only words that screamed in their mind over and over was - “Our bestowed dreams, shattered our boy’s own dreams”. Meherzad’s injury damaged nerves in his wrist leaving the usage of his hand limited forever. Meherdad’s injury restricted his hip motion forever. Both parent’s dreams for their boys became a load, thousand-fold burning their boy’s dreams to ashes and this same load now sitting in their hearts like rocks unmovable and unbearable.

Five fingers of each hand are unique so is every child of every parent. Healthy competition is good, but comparison used as a tool to enhance a child’s capability is a recipe for disaster. Forcing one’s fulfilled or unfulfilled dreams upon one’s child may backfire completely, resulting into consequences one may regret dearly. Each child is precious and each life too. Hope we humans stop making these mistakes and learn from them. Let’s give freedom to every child to chase their own dreams instead of others asking them to carry forward theirs.