Parenting

They had rods pierced through their tongues, ropes under the skin of their backs and other places. I didn't look too hard. It sends goose pimples up anyone watching.
And my cousin brother promptly told his young daughters- don't look. His wife said, of course not, let them see and accept. The kids said - we have seen such things on TV.

We try so hard to keep evil away from our children. We buy amulets and charms, go to God men to get specially blessings for our children; do our pujas and mantras taking care not to let inauspicious people like divorcees and widows participate.

We avoid discussions on drugs money and sex. Hoping that they wont think about any of them.
We generally try to be wise as we can; avoiding all the pitfalls we felt with our parents.

But still, we have to accept what they make of themselves finally.

" Which father, which teacher has been able to protect him (his son) from living his life for himself, from burdening himself with guilt, from drinking the bitter drink for himself, from finding the path for himself? Would you think that anybody might be spared from taking this path? that perhaps your little son would be spared, because you love him, because you would like to keep him from suffering and pain and disappointment?But even if you would die 10 times for him, you would not be able to take the slightest part of his destiny upon himself. "
Herman Hesse in Siddhartha.

This is a book that you can appreciate and like only at a certain stage in life. I have read it before and it didn't appeal. Suddenly now, it makes sense.