I take a walk with Rohāmrta a few times a week.
Not very far, just inside our community, which is pretty well spread out, and so I end up walking for around an hour.
I see quite a few infants and toddlers, relaxing in their strollers, or playing around on the grass, maid in tow, and parents nowhere in sight.
This isn’t a one-off case. It’s a pattern I’ve noticed, across different days, times and even on the weekend.
And I wonder – what keeps parents so busy that they cannot spend this time with their children? If not both, at least one can accompany the kid?
I know most of them – they work mainly from home. Even if they work from office, they are usually home by 6. And what about the weekends?
Each one to his or her own. I just wonder how this system works. What goes on in the toddler’s little mind…or does he not know or care given that his social skills are not yet active?
Maybe this is a by-product of our nuclear families, or of financial pressures, can be a lot of reasons. But in some way, it is a bit saddening.
I take a look at Rohāmrta as these thoughts cross my mind, and find him blissfully unaware of the mini turbulence in my mind. I hum his favorite song, and he turns to look at me, a smile on his face, in anticipation of the punchline that amuses him.
I oblige, he laughs, and look ahead again. And so do I.
So do I.