The unpaid debt

Shivika Srivastava, AIS Gur 43, X C

“Mother, mother!” The loud shriek of the child could be heard from miles away. The child’s tender eyes found his mother working on the laptop, and with pure elation, he provided a warm hug to his mother. The mother had an important meeting going on, but for her, nothing was more important than making time for her son. The child was brought up by his mother who played the dual role of both parents. The cosy embrace was quickly interrupted by the boy’s high-pitched words, “Mother, I have something I want to show you.” The child gave his mother a piece of paper. The mother’s eyes lingered on the paper longer than they were supposed to, and then, her eyes widened. Her mere 14-year-old boy had provided her with a ‘budget’, telling her how much she must pay him. The paper read: “ INR 10 for cleaning my room, INR 10 for watering the plants, INR 15 for always keeping myself clean, INR 20 for taking care of my little sister, INR 25 for doing my homework regularly, and INR 30 for always acing my studies.”
The mother was left flabbergasted. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that her son would do this. But the mother knew that the response she gave would be very significant, for it would shape the child’s personality and his way of thinking about the value of money in life. She asked the child, “Son! So much money. I need some time to arrange the cash. Please give me some time.” The child, with a victorious smile, replied “Of course, you can take a few days. But please clear the dues by the end of this month.”
After a few days, the child reminded the mother to pay him. The mother, rather than paying, provided her son with another piece of paper. It read, “INR 40 for taking care of you when you were sick, even when I had work, INR 50 for cooking your food, even though my fingers burnt sometimes, and INR 50 for providing you with toys, even when the budget was too tight. Approximately a billion rupees for being both your father and mother, and a trillion rupees for providing you an abode for nine months.”
The son was overcome by guilt, and he cried as he apologised to his mother. He realised that mothers often work beyond what is expected and children take their labour for granted. The child humbled down, and from then on helped his mother as much as he could, for he, realised the true worth of her labour.

Heartfelt holiday

Atharv Chauhan, AIS PV, VI A

It’s winter time, I don’t have a dime
But I have my friends, so I’ll be fine
We had a holiday party, it had a flair
We had fun and laughed with no care

The next day we visited a dog show
I saw so many dog breeds that I know
Then we went to eat, food was great
We returned home, it was getting late

My mom took me to visit grandma
We sat together and watched a drama
I have my family and friends, hence
I do not need a dime, this winter time.

It’s Me

KNOW ME BETTER
My name: Krriti Bhakuni
My Class: KG D
My school: AIS Saket
My birthday: April 8

MY FAVOURITES
Teachers: Ruchika ma’am and Jannat ma’am
Subjects: English and Hindi
Friends: Ayansh, Nanya and Ranay
Games: Gymnastics and sprinting
Cartoon: Peppa Pig
Food: Chole-puri and french fries
Mall: Select City Walk
Book: Peppa Pig by Ladybird

MY DREAMS AND GOALS
Hobbies: Dancing, singing, reading, writing, and painting
I like: Dancing, art-craft, and playing with toys
I dislike: Eating halwa & kheer
My role model: Monica ma’am
I want to become: A teacher at Amity International School, Saket
I want to feature in GT because: I want to share everything that I like and feel proud that I had a chance to express myself.