How Nivedita Embraced Her “different wiring”

/ Priyankaspen

What is your Missing Tile? – Mental Health First – Priyanka Joshi

Nivedita was 9 years old when she learned about her disability, it was hard for her to process what all she was listening about her but she let herself believe that there was a problem. It made her anxious and irritable and she refused to go to school, she would come back crying and yelling from school.

She could not understand that why is it necessary to sit still during class and not go out and notice the flowers in the garden. Why her teachers were complaining about her in PTMs or why children refuse to make her part of their team while playing and refuse to play with her?

She was suffering from a problem. A problem which was unknown to her, a problem she never thought of a problem because it was a part of her, and she was happy. She had a hard time concentrating on things and was unable to focus, it has been there for a long time and now she knows why.

At such a tender age it is difficult to process things and also sometimes easy to manipulate the truth. Nivedita’s mother, Sukanya was a special educator by profession and had hands-on experience of dealing with special children. With her experience, she knew something is wrong but as we merely accept any kind of disorder, her mother too chose to live in denial. Soon things went out of hand and Sukanya was left perplexed and devasted. There is this thing about mental disorders in kids, they could be misunderstood for being mischievous and naughty when in reality sometimes they might be dealing with a real problem.

The 9-year-old kid was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) after immediate counseling followed by her school meeting. She was dealing with a lot in school, having a hard time focusing on studies, memorizing things, speaking, and reading, she would lose her belongings in school and forget her things. She was mocked and criticized often. She could never understand what to do about it, it was her inability to pay attention no matter how hard she tried but no one believed her.

ADHD

Her classmate would call her a crackpot who forgets everything and made fun of her, teachers were having a hard time dealing with her. It was then, her parents were called by the school authorities and they openly discussed Nivedita’s situation. Her mother was trying to stay strong and also agreed to what was being mentioned about Nivedita’s situation because she has been observing similar symptoms but never wanted to believe them, she felt helpless for a moment and tears rolled down her cheek thinking about her future.

Nivedita was a very cute little girl with curly hair, chubby chicks, and an unusual sparkle in her eyes. She saw her world differently where everything was slow and limited. She was never in rush and her unorganized nature never bothered her. She loved to spend time in her little garden, she would water the plants, play with mud, and talk with plants.

Her mother, on the other hand, was constantly worried about her, now with the diagnosis when the problem was clear the next big challenge was to help her deal with her disorder and make her life-ready. Sukanya thought a lot about it, how she can help Nivedita, how to build a sense of resilience in her child to not get affected by what others say about her, she was deeply engrossed in her thoughts sitting in the veranda watching Nivedita talking to her plants.

As she moved to grab her cup of tea from the table suddenly Nivedita came and gave her a tight hug saying, “Mumma for whatever reason, I am the way I am, and I’ve tried really hard to not let it inhibit the things that are important to me but I fail to focus, but come maa look how I can focus on the thin veins and nerves of each leaf and flower petal.” Have you ever observed the beauty each plant offers? I have seen it. You know why?

Because they are in no rush, they are always calm and humble, I nurture them with water and they bloom, they grow slowly but they grow every day, and seeing them I feel so happy and you should be happy too. Tears rolled down Sukanya’s cheeks but this time it also bought a warm smile on her face, with hope and faith mother and daughter hugged each other and sat calmly looking at their beautiful garden. Sukanya noticed how focusing on the problems takes away the joy of being in the moment and sometimes for the butterfly to sit on its flower the flower needs to be calm and patient too.

Much love and gratitude

Priyanka

‘This post is written for StorytellersBlogHop FEB 2021 by Ujjwal (https://mywordsmywisdom.com) & MeenalSonal (www.auraofthoughts.com)’ #StoryTellersBlogHop

P.S: This is my personal blog where I write poems, blogs irrespective of niche and SEO. You can visit Sanity Daily my professional setup and mental health space 🙂

72 thoughts on “How Nivedita Embraced Her “different wiring””

  3. You have written so beautiful a story with a strong message/cause behind it.
    Appreciate your writing style and this was really good read to begin my day with.

    Like

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  4. Very well written piece. I like the way you have blended in your story, the awareness around a cause. The subtle social message is bang on! Keep writing and spreading such information.

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. “they grow slowly but they grow every day” this is so true to many. I often say, children are like butterflies and flowers. Each one is unique and beautiful. Even with they have any disorders or issues, they are still beautiful, innocent, and pure. We have to nurture that beauty that is within them.

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  11. 💖💖💖💖💖keep rocking. Handling such a situation as a child is the saddest part of this story. Parents strength gives more power to the child I think.

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  12. Yes I agree that mental disorders in kids is hard to diagnose and many times it seems like a naughty behaviors. recently, my cousin’s son is diagnosed with ADHD and I had seen her struggle closely. your story has reminded me that incidence. I really like the ending of story, indeed sometimes having a positive outlook and hope is most important thing in life to deal with adversity.

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  14. I listened to your story while reading and scrolling the page. You narrated it so well, Priyanka. We are rushing to reach nowhere in our daily lives forgetting the warmth and happiness in the current moment. The happiness that shows up only when you pause.

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  15. A beautiful, touching story of a little girl Nivedita, enveloped with a powerful message. I heard this story on your podcast channel, dear, and I feel every parent must listen to this and understand that every kid is different, holding with some unique qualities.

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  16. Story of hope and lesson for all. Acceptance solves many of the problems which we think are huge. Completely loved Nivedita and could understand situation of Sukanya as a mother. Loved your first piece of fiction Priyanka, hope many more awareness comes through StoryTelling.

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  17. Society has such preset notions about what is acceptable that they label other as problematic. Immaterial of what people say, parents should always encourage their kids to be who they are as long as it is ethical. That is the only way they will be happy and be able to discover themselves.

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  18. Sensitive story focusing on a lesser-known ailment, Priyanka.
    ADHD is real and many kids are affected. But, how many are diagnosed and aware of their condition?
    Despite Nivedita’s mom being knowledgeable, she still had acceptance issues.
    Facing the reality becomes easy once we accept.
    You have nicely used the prompt twice.

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  19. A beautiful story that sheds light on an important issue while making us see the other side of it, I am happy that you are writing about this and spreading awareness about ADHD through fiction.

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  20. As much as it is important to diagnose mental disorders in kids, its crucial that we make them understand and learn to make the best of what’s possible for them. Nivedita will do well coz she sees the beauty of nature that we often forget to!

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  21. This was redolent with so much light, positivity and Hope!! You’re so correct in quoting that how we forget to live in the moment because of overcrowding noises in life. How a slice of uncluttering and calmness can bring about clarity and solutions. Great warm writeup!! Kudos!

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  22. Loved your story writing with a cause behind it… It’s true that kids’ mental illnesses might be considered as naughtiness itself. I remember the movie Taare Zamein Par with the same message. Loved your story and the message at the end.

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  24. This is a very useful piece of writing with such a strong message and valid information about ADHD. Even I got to know so many things ! At sucha young age, when you are called out by society for reasons beyond your control, it really becomes tough !I feel happy for Nivedita !

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  26. Wow. I loved how you portrayed the little girl to be so confident about herself. We people who are believed to be “normal” fail to understand life like Nivedita and constantly keep getting into self doubt.
    Loved your take on the prompt.

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  27. I am glad you are writing about these issues in such a positive manner, Priye. People don’t realize that suffering can lessen, if not cease, with the correct diagnosis and treatment. Your posts are sure to bring about a ripple of change.

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  28. What a wonderful post! I am glad that you kept Nivedita in the limelight and brought her perspective to the story. I can understand as a parent it is difficult to accept that our child/children have some mental issues. But it is only when we see the world from the child’s perspective, we can see a whole beautiful world out there and gain strength. More power to Nivedita! Beautifully written capturing all the emotions of both the mother and child.

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  29. Priyanka dear you are my all time favorite😍
    This story comes out with an another magical and useful write up from your pen…
    Nivedita forces me to check the feelings of my daughters more sincerely and figure out them…
    Thank you for sharing 💕

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  30. This story sends out a strong message to not just parents of kids having ADHD but others as well. Sometimes parents to avoid embarrassment or to meet our expectations put so much pressure on kids. Thanks for this reminder.

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