Old is gold, oh is it ! 

          We were the generation who questioned our parents the least. Whatever they said was deiva vakku. God ordained. Yet we were the ones who were handed corporal punishment at the drop of a hat. 

         Simple joys were denied us. Always reminded of the cane. We were not allowed to come close to them.

           You think we were an exception. Let me tell you this was the rule. One or two households may have had a different type of parent. Spare the rod and spoil the child was the general mantra. Let them not come too close or they will become indisciplined. We may sit on their heads was what frightened them .

             Yes money was in short supply . All penny pinching avenues had to be resorted to.  We never minded that . It was the same with all our friends. 

               Could they not show their affection with a kind word. Laugh at our antics, indulge the growing children once in a while.  

                Now come to the present day. The same children have grown up . They are the indulgent parents. What they yearned for they give their children aplenty.  There is laughter in the household, No one dreads the return of the parent from office. He is not the bogeyman. It is a happy occasion . He may even have brought them something. Love is openly expressed by parents and children. Nothing to shy from.

              I wish I could be a child and grow up today.