Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Is it right?

A very weird thing I heard on a radio FM station this morning. Normally I don't pay attention, but the songs keep playing and gives me the much needed musical background to the otherwise mundane household chores. But this morning, this perked me up. It was a program in which the RJ calls up someone ( on the callers request) and he gives the RJ a number to which they call and ask, or question or nearly spy on the other person. I found that a very eerie kind of a program. Firstly...why would I as a listener want to know what another person is doing or not doing in his life???? I dont want to know at all...but added to this misery, i'm supposed to also listen in to the pairs squibbling over petty matters or answering a suspicious girl/boy friend...beats me why I would want to know???

But today, the call made me wonder...I actually listened.

The scenario goes like this :

A father calls up the radio station, and tells the RJ that his son has been wanting to go on an excursion, and had asked him for
an amount of 1000 rs. He hadn't given it to the son ( reasons were not told on air). That morning, after the son left to go out, the father checks his wallet and finds money equalling 1000rs missing. He calls the radio station and wants the RJ to check on
the son, ( as per the show, ) .The RJ calls up the son, posing as the travel agent..and asks him top cough up the money within the following half an hourTo which the boy replies that he has the money on him and he would be there soon.At this point, the call changes hands to the father, and we can hear the father asking the son on AIR!!! about the missing money, etc..



This was so eerie and weird for me. Isn't the relationship between a parent and child very fragile and precious too?After this episode, the son can never face his peers who might have listened in, but also his own parents. There will be a feeling of shame and also hate...not because his father caught him ...but because he was on air with the public listening in.

I'm sure the situation could have been handled in a better way. Not all parents can provide for their children so easily...It is upto them, to make the children understand in a very ncie way, about the financial situation in their lives.



Many times when we as parents face such a situation, it is very difficult sometimes to saya 'NO' to the child. But I have realised it is far easier on the child to explain things as it is. And amazingly children are very sensitive and inspite of all their mischief, disobedience and problems....they are still your own child. And as a parent I think it is our responsibilty to see that the child learns from goodness and also from example.


I really hope parents really deal with such situations in a much more pleasant way. I do not transfer the entire blame onto the parent, the child is also responsible. But this could have easily been avoided.

This article also tells how this situation can be dealth with...
What do you'll think?
Was the father right in reacting such a way?

24 comments:

ceedy said...

First off - great template - did you click that pic??????

And in the father reacting this way - its fragile - can worsen things for sure....

but I have heard such calls here are dramatized and have my doubts....

the old method when the father whacked the kid - I think works the best :)

Rambler said...

yeah I find the program concept odd too, I would defntly not want someone else check on my kids, firstly I would trust them, and If I doubt, I would talk to them personally

Jaya said...

I do not agree the way father handled the situation. For some reason, I remember a scene in Munna Bhai in similar lines. Anyways, in parent child relationship, both parent and child grow up all the time. The father should have talked it over with son. I agree with Ceedy, in worse circumstances, a whack would work :)

Jaya said...

Why don't you call the RJ and give your two cents. They are responsible for their show and should know what would work for general interest.

Preethi said...

you are right.. this reaction was unacceptable.. my dad would just stop talking to us when we did something wrong and that worked marvels with us as teenagers.. not sure how I am going to handle teen years myself :(
By the way.. love your template.. awesome!!

WhatsInAName said...

Lovely template this! Did you make it yourself or what?
Coming to the topic, I feel it was made up and just an act. I am put off with all these so-called-relaity shows. So very artificial. But your question about a father confronting his son in open makes sense. I would say that the father is wrong and these things can be explained to a kid. Many a times it has happened with me too when I have to squash that excited eye by saying NO. But I make it a point to explain to my daughter about its pros and cons. And even though half-heartedly, they do agree!!!

Vinesh said...

new template too cool, prats!! love it! :)

is this an indian show? i've never heard of this! which fm station?

first, reality tv. now reality radio... they'll all go to hell! :-@

broca's area said...

this really is a delicate matter....guess how that boy reacted after that incident:(...feel sorry for them!!...[is this the same prog that comes in radio one??]

Unknown said...

Whoa.. quite a weirdo father in my opinion.

Damn, I never knew FM in b'lore was this cool :D

the stygian sailor said...

what crappy radio programme is this da?
poor boy, poor dad, stupid f***in radio station.
beating or punishing the kid wont work.
explaining the issue may or mayn't work.
but the kid needs to be told, stealing isn't right.
dad has to be told not to peek into the child's space.
the whole family needs counseling :)
there is an old sanskrit verse, which when translated says," pamper the kid till the age of 5, beat it till the next 10 years, and when the kid is 16, he is no more a kid, treat him like a friend"
i don't know if it works.
i am too young to have kids :)

--xh-- said...

wow, superb template and nice DP... now i too want to change my template... ;) he he

hm.. no - i dont think the father handled it in right way - and i dunno why people listen to all this kind of programs - may be itz the liking to listen and gossip about others...

aMus said...

sad case...i'd hate to be in the son's shoes...:(

this reality thing is really going over the top!!!

Ramaa said...

nice template Prats. Like this much better than the previous one :-)

rayshma said...

1. LOVE the new look.
2. i agree with u that a parent-child r'ship is rather personal. i wouldn't want to take my kid to task publicly.

Pavi!!!! said...

No..the father shld have dealth with it in a better manner..confronting his child on radio was the dumbest idea he cld have come up with....

I'm not sure if explaining things to the child would have worked either...Therz this certain age wher we want to do our own thing..where wat no one (parent,teacher,God,sibling,or sometimes even peer)says makes any sense to us.

I agree with Ceedy...sumthings got to be taught with a spanking!

Gazal said...

many a times...such things are fabricated to raise the TRP's of shows...this maybe one of them.

if not...then its really weird

Prats said...

@ceedy. Thank you and no I didn't clcik that picture..how I wish I had...but then, I would have been clicking on and on and not here .... :)

Yep, even if they are dramatized, somehow the issue was a very sad way of bringing it out.

@ rambler So true...trust is the foundation of any kind of relationship...and certainly checking on the children so openly could be demoralising

@joy....sometimes, I do think a whack really would do..its true. I will call them and speak to them...but I wonder if anything will be done...you know how pigheaded they can get

@preethi....thanks, time I brought in some change to the look....
and your father is very similar to mine...his silence when we were wrong would literally kill us...but we never repeated such mistakes again

@WIAN hey....thanks...but I will not take credit for it...I got portions of it from a site, and then put it all together.. :)in the end tore my hair out altogether....

Yes, maybe they are rigged ...I thought so too...but I was wondering how many people believe it to be true...and could put it into action...

Prats said...

@vinesh Thanks..and where have you been??? its been a while...

Reality shows on radio have been going on for a while now...but this was I guess something to amuse the tickled minds of us poor souls...but in poor taste

@broca...I really wonder too...

@j See what happens after you leave good ole bangalore....sometimes they are good too...

@stygian...really crappy, I agree...many programs are like that...wodner how we put up with it...thankfully there is a button that can switch it off :P

and what is that sanskrit verse...it sounds lovely.

Prats said...

@XH...Thanks....and I actually tried doing something by myself for a change :P

@suma...I wouldnt wish that for any child actually

@ramaa...hey thank you.

@rayshma Thank you, i'm glad now I tried some change.
And ur right, relationships are fragile...

Prats said...

@pavi So true, at an age when children get rebellious and also stubborn things need to be taken a bit easily or else they can just do something out of spite

Prats said...

@gazal...looks like it is rigged...but even then for a listener who is not smart enough, these kind of show can really lead them astray....

Vaidegi J said...

somehow struck me immediately like the scene in munnabhai where the dad comes to know about his son. its ok for a movie script i guess, with all the required melodrama, not for real! what is the world coming to!!

Anonymous said...

Unpardonable way of dealing with the issue by a parent. I remember listening to this program once, a girl-friend/boyfriend thing was going on and I was like, WTH!!! They want the whole world listen in to their bickering??! But this is way too serious, not the way at all to deal with lapses on children's part.
That IS a weird program anyways.

Mama - Mia said...

motsly it will be rigged!

but if not, its totally a sad way of dealing with the situation!

not that the son is blameless. stealing is so not done.

but then all these issues are to be sorted at home and not on a public forum!

great post!

cheers!

abha