But Edison’s mother played a constructive role
in shaping her son’s future. She implanted the
idea in her son’s mind that he was not retarded,
and that this impediment was a challenge. She
made Edison’s education her mission, and
encouraged her son to use his natural abilities to
overcome his obstacles. The result is that Edison’s
name is now recorded in history as that of a great
scientist!
It is commonly believed that one born into a
wealthy family is fortunate, while one born into
a poor family is unfortunate. Here too, a mother’s
role is to make her child feel privileged no matter
what the circumstances, and that even if one was
not born with the proverbial silver spoon in one’s
mouth, one still had the ‘incentive spoon’! She
should also show her children how most of the
successful people are where they are today
because they struggled and worked hard to
achieve what they have achieved today.
Likewise, a mother should teach her children
not to divide people on the basis of the ‘haves’
and the ‘have-nots’. It is often seen that although
certain individuals have been born into deprived
families, they have risen to become members of
the privileged classes! Therefore, the dichotomy
is not between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, but
22
Family Life
