A Jar of Letters (volume 1): A collection of Open Letters

by Richa Saxena

needs to be an individual too. Oh! It's great that you want your child to ace that test, be the best in class, get that scholarship, achieve that degree, get that job, live in a big bungalow, marry the best, and just pilot a rocket ship to Mars. I mean it's great you want all that you couldn't have. Between all those endeavors, do you realize your kid might not want any of those? For once? I'm sorry to tell you, but this way, you are raising a generation of academically and scholastically appraised youth with zero emotional quotients. We shall soon be an army of robotic brains with no love in our hearts: none, to give or receive.

I just wanted you to raise an emotionally healthy kid, who didn't need a therapist to teach her how to be happy.

Try not to take things personally; what people say about you is a reflection of their own insecurities.

And I feel guilty for not missing you anymore.

You had your specific qualities that I valued. But I don't admire it anymore.

Understand that it is not wrong to draw your boundaries and say no to the things that take too much of you.

All you’re required to do is, to be patient.

Never give in to peer pressure.

Please never compare yourself to others and vice versa. Everyone has their own journey, story, and situations.

Taking shorter routes won’t bring with it the excitement that the longer path prevails.