Troubled teenage?

(concluding part)

(Shruti finds her son flaring up over a PC game and confronts him for the language he used in the rage ....)

"Sorry for the abusive words, Mom but some children in our school use these. They say, it is okay to use, when you are angry ... In fact it is cool.” He said innocently.

"Cool means stylish and good, right? Then did you ever see me or dad using those 'cool' words? No dear, those are bad words and no such language is acceptable by anybody in my family anywhere." She paused and asked further, “and what is this 'sexy' word? Is this the way you address the girls?”

Shaurya who was sitting with his head down, feeling really guilty now suddenly looked up and raised the brows, as if Shruti had said something very stupid, “ But Mom, that is just okay... just the way you call someone beautiful. Even in your favorite show,'Coffee with Karan', karan asked the kids younger to me if they found Shahrukh khan 'sexy'?”

Shruti was taken aback. Things were quite different when her older son was growing up plus he was more of a book worm. Or is it that she has grown old? Or is it long hours of being alone that has pushed her son towards such unpleasant things? As with the older son Shashank, Shaurya was around and their grand parents too, while shruti and her husband would be out. Unfortunately kids lost their grand parents within a span of two years and immediately after that Shashank left for his engineering to other city.

"Alright shaurya, agreed they use these adjectives on TV and some children in your school use abusives words. But don't you think it is absolutely up to us what we absorb and what not? Not everything that is shown on TV is cool even if they project so. They even show kids speaking arrogantly to the elders or kids defining their own rules in the ads. But that does not happen in real life." Shruti paused and scanned his face as she did not want it to be a lecture giving session. So she tried to make it a two way communication.

"Hey, which ad is that in which they show a boy playing football in the house and ends up with the patches on the wall and food spilled  all over....?” She asked her son.

“Ya, that is about some paint .... why Mom?” he asked curiously.

“Would you like to play football in your room and make a mess out of it?”, she asked

“No! absolutely not mom”, he said quickly.

“So, that is it beta, they just want to sell their product, why should they be bothered about the good teachings or moral values. If the children are being encouraged to say the words which are not suitable to their age, may be that is just to make that show popular. But I do not appreciate it.” She said.

“You mean, I should have not watched that show?” he asked

“No, it is fine , if you have watched .... apart from knowing good things that you should do, you also need to know what are bad things or things which are not appropriate or may be not right at this age. Isn't it?” She popped up the question again to keep him in this conversation.

“Yes Mom, but how do I figure it out ? I mean good, bad or not appropriate?” Shaurya was little exasperated.

“Simple! abusive words are a strict NO, and you can judge by comparing the conduct we follow at home. I am always there to talk just about anything . So is dad.” She told him.

“Where does he have time?”, Shaurya said.

“He is right.” Shruti thought and decided to tell her husband about this. “Alright, I will tell your dad to take some time out for you, but about these violent games?” Shruti asked him agan.

“What about these games? I play such games everyday, before you get back from the office. What do I do once I am back and done with my homework? And I get irritated when these virtual playmates defeat me.” Shaurya said.

“Virtual !!....” Shruti thought, “My son is actually living in the virtual world. Or all of us?" She pondered, "talking to someone on the cell sitting miles away but do not have time to visit neighbors to say a simple hello? Oh my God , I do not even know, who all live on other floors? We celebrate Rakhi on nearest sunday, I hope we do not start celebrating “Diwali” in summers just because kids have holidays then?” She shook her head as if to stop herself from thinking too much, and getting back to her son.

"Alright then,"  said Shruti as if she promised something to herself and looked all charged up about it. “You were talking about some sports club, that you wished to join. Lets go there tomorrow itself. Join it for which ever sport you are interested in,and have real play mates not virtual, Okay? " She smiled and told him and thought, “I must get his energy channelized before it vents out in the form of anger. She had not yet recovered from what she had heard him saying, “Gun him down”, while playing the PC game.

"So we are going there tomorrow. Okay?" Shruti told her son again.

“What mom? Really?” Shaurya jumped and was really happy that he hugged her mom and said,“Thank you mom.” He started jumping around.

Shruti was relieved to see the innocence and childhood still intact in her son. She wanted his journey to adulthood in a friendly and pure environment under her guidance. And she thanked her viral fever and promised herself to have more such talk time with her son.