Ayaan was in big trouble. And it was all his own fault. His midterm exams result was out and he had failed in three subjects. His mother was angry and wasn’t talking to him since noon. However, usually when he got low marks or failed he had to listen to a very severe scolding from both his parents. But this time, very unusually, his mom remained silent after looking at his report card and turned away without saying a single word.
Ayaan was in grade eight. Like some children, he also had the habit of wasting time in doing nothing and just playing around. The whole year, when mom asked him to study he would always say that he knows everything and he has no problem in any subject, all he needs is to revise before the exams. His mom used to make him sit and study till he was in grade five, but now as he was older she wanted him to study independently. Since the last two years, he wasn’t scoring good marks, in fact, his marks were going down, and on top of that, this time he failed in three subjects.
But this time, his mother’s attitude was extremely troubling for him. The whole day passed but mom remained busy in her household chores and didn’t speak a word to Ayaan. When dad came, neither mom nor Ayaan said anything about the result to him.
It was night time now and Ayaan was restless. He realised that he had failed because he didn’t study well and his mom was tired of telling him to do so everytime. He could not bear his mom’s silence and got up to admit his mistake.
Mom was sitting on the couch, watching the news on TV when Ayaan sat down near her feet, lowered his head on her lap and with tears in his eyes said, “I am extremely sorry mom. I was wrong… I just can’t forgive myself for hurting you by ignoring my studies, I have wasted my time and have got the result of doing so,” tears rolled down on Ayaan’s cheek as he spoke.
His mom said, “Sweetheart, stop crying like a small child. You are a big boy now! Instead of crying over spilt milk, plan what you have to do to cover up your lost rank. We scolded you for your better future, but you thought we are scolding you as usual…. Do you want to be called an uneducated and illiterate person, and left out in all walks of life? I know you don’t want that. Sweetheart, you can only be an educated person if you study well. Everyday whether you have any test or not, you must study. Don’t say that you know everything; rather always think that you have to study more to become a bright student.”
“And my dear, remember, it’s never too late. Just make a timetable and do not waste a single minute,” his mother said and hugged Ayaan tight.
Ayaan wiped the tears from his face and got up with an aim. And that day he turned over a new leaf which brought a fantastic change in his life. He worked so hard that he got excellent marks in the final exams and it made up for his lost marks in the midterm. And he never made this mistake again.