What is the passport to success for our children? It is indeed, the biggest challenge faced by parents in the 21st century. The majority strongly believes that it is your nationality and the colour of your passport that matters the most, and especially for those living in a Third World country. But to me, it is nothing but a myth, rather than a fact.
I agree that the colour of the passport is a convenience when applying for visas but is this the only criteria for measuring success? Although it seems to be of great importance to schools, institutions and various companies because they always look at your passport before offering you place, this is not the key to measuring success or abilities.
You may not agree with me, but I strongly believe that the passport to success is your education and character. We, as parents seem to have forgotten the fact that the one thing that will benefit your newborn 20 years from now is the quality of education and the strengths of his or her character. Do yourself a favour and give your child the best education today, so that he or she succeeds tomorrow. It is also important to note that the best education, does not necessarily mean the most expensive or talked about school in your area. We, as parents need to have faith and confidence in our children’s personal abilities and his or her hard work, rather than in the passport they hold. Instead of helping our children find short cuts to success, we should teach them how to earn it.
We need to change our mindset and think differently when it comes to raising our children, and when we say it is a privilege to have studied at a reputable institution, it doesn’t mean that it’s an honour to have studied in that specific country, rather it’s honourable because you were academically stronger and more capable than your fellow students. Last but not least, we need to let our children know that their parents invested all their time and effort in giving them a good education that has brought them to where they are today.
- The reader is a Pakistani homemaker based in Dubai.
