The Day I Lost My Cool

Some mornings start with Kaavaalaa song Vibe with the bgm of Mani Ratnam's Kannathil Muthamittal.

That’s exactly how our day began. My son and I were happily getting down the stairs and then one tiny moment changed everything.

A mistake happened.

Actually… not one. Two.

And yes, both were from my son’s side which has a zero-tolerance.

I lost my patience.

I did something I usually never do.

I slapped him. YES!

The moment my hand touched him, I knew it wasn’t just his mistake anymore, it became my (our) moment of heartbreak.

Before I could take a breath to fix it, to hold him, to say “sorry” or “come here,” the school bus arrived like the worst timed guest.

No time to talk.

No time to hug.

No time to repair.

He got in with a sad face.

We both stood there helpless.

And that… that was the worst feeling a parent can experience.

The Whole Day Felt Heavy

I carried the guilt like a stone in my chest.

I cried more times than I can admit.

In the office, at my desk, even while drinking coffee, I kept replaying that moment.

I kept asking myself: If I, as a grown-up with 30+ years of experience in controlling myself, broke down so easily,  How was my little boy handling it at school?

Was he sad? Confused? Angry?

Was he blaming himself? Or me?

That thought shattered me all over again.

The Guilt Spiral Every Parent Knows

We parents don’t just feel guilty.

We feel three layers of it:

Guilt

More guilt

And extra guilt with interest

I tried to distract myself, didn’t work.

I then ordered his favourite toy on BlinkIt, so he would feel excited after school. And while returning from office, I picked up all the snacks for him.

We finally patched things up… and just when I thought the storm had passed, he made another mistake. And boom !!! the loop continues. 😉

But, What I Learned something today. Parenting is not a straight line.

It’s a messy, emotional rollercoaster where both the parent and the child are learning how to love better.

1. Kids make mistakes. Parents do too. It’s normal. Human. Natural. (Even AI does mistake)
2. Losing control doesn’t make you a bad parent. It makes you a parent who needs a breath, not punishment.
3. Kids forgive faster than we forgive ourselves. Their hearts don’t hold grudges the way ours do.
4. The repair matters more than the mistake. What you say after the anger matters more than what caused the anger.

To Every Parent Reading This

If you have ever lost your cool…

If you have ever shouted…

If you have ever reacted too fast…

You are not alone.

And your child doesn’t need a perfect parent.

They just need a parent who comes back, hugs them tight, and tries again.

Parenting is not about never making mistakes

It’s about repair, connection, and growing together.

The Security Who Waited

Akansha, a bright-eyed first-year fashion design student, had just stepped into the world of college life,  new friends, new dreams, new beginnings. Every day felt like a fresh page in her story.

But she had no idea one that notebook would change everything. 

One busy morning, rushing to her design class, Akansha accidentally dropped her sketch notebook. The college security guard, known by everyone as Security Uncle, picked it up, noticed her name on the cover, and called out:

“Akansha! You dropped your book!”

She smiled gratefully, took it back, and hurried away.

From that day, he began greeting her daily with a warm smile and a gentle wave.

A week later, Akansha ordered a burger at the canteen. Only when she reached the counter did she realise:

She didn’t have her wallet.

Before she could panic, the canteen guy said, “Already paid.”

Confused, she turned and saw Security Uncle smiling shyly from the gate.

Her friends burst into laughter. “Ohooo… Security Uncle has a crush on you!”

She brushed it off embarrassed. 

One evening, after a long lab session, Akansha stayed back to finish her assignment. By the time she stepped out, the campus was nearly empty. Heavy rain poured down, and her friends had already left.

She stood alone outside the lab, worried. Suddenly, she heard footsteps.

Security Uncle was walking towards her with an umbrella.

Akansha stiffened for a moment. “Uncle… your duty is over, right? Why are you still here?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he took out his wallet, opened it, and showed her a small, faded photograph.

A little girl. Smiling beautifully. With the same eyes as Akansha.

His voice trembled. “Her name was A…AAk...Akansha my daughter. She died of fever when she was just ten years old."

Akansha froze. 

He continued softly:

“If she were alive today… she would be exactly your age. You look just like her. When I see you, I feel like… like my daughter is still around me.”

Akansha felt her chest tighten.

Her eyes filled with tears,  hidden by the rain.

She had misunderstood him.

He wasn’t obsessed.

He wasn’t inappropriate.

He was a father… looking at a reflection of the child he lost forever.

Without saying a word, she stepped under the umbrella beside him.

Together, they walked towards the gate.

For the first time, she noticed the softness in his eyes,  not admiration, but pain, memory, and love that never got a chance to grow.

From that day onward, Akansha always made it a point to smile, wave, and ask, “How are you, Uncle?”

Not out of obligation.

But out of respect for a father whose heart still waited for a daughter whose laughter echoes only in memories.

A quiet, emotional story that teaches us:

Sometimes the people we see every day hold the deepest untold stories.

And a simple smile… can heal more than we think.

#untoldstories #securityguardstory #collegelife #misunderstandings #griefandloss #fatherdaughterlove #heartwarmingstory #emotionalshortstory #unexpectedkindness #dontjudge #deepeststories #powerofasmile #simpleactsofkindness #overcominggrief #humanstories

Seasons of Friendship And the Pain of Being Replaced

Friendship is one of the strange, yet most beautiful journeys we walk through in life. It grows with us, and sometimes… breaks us in ways we never expected.

But if you look back, the purest form of friendship always begins in one place:

School : Where Friendship Is Innocent and Unfiltered

School friendships are magic.

You don’t choose them based on status, comfort, convenience, or mutual benefits.

It’s the time when:

Sharing one lunch box meant sharing a piece of your heart

One bench held a thousand secrets

You never feared being judged

Back then, friendship was simple.

Uncomplicated.

Pure.

College : When Having a “Gang” Feels Like a Personality

Then comes college. 

Suddenly, the number of friends you have becomes a symbol of how “mass” you are.

Late-night canteen tea, group selfies, mass bunk plans, heartbreak advice...

But college friendships, though beautiful not lifelong. 

Adulthood : When You Realize Quality > Quantity

There comes a phase, usually in the mid-20s or early 30s, when life quietly teaches you something:

You don’t need a crowd.

You just need one or two people who actually understand you.

You begin cutting off noise.

You choose depth over numbers.

Your circle becomes smaller, softer, and safer.

You are content with just,

One friend you can cry to.

One friend you can call at 12 a.m. without thinking twice.

One friend who knows your scars and still stands next to you.

Those become your real people.

And Then… the Shock of “Community Friendships”

People who are in your life simply because you live in the same building.

Same elevator.

Same WhatsApp group.

Same festival committee.

They are friendly, yes.

Helpful, yes.

A part of your daily environment, yes.

But… they are not the ones who know your soul.

And that becomes painfully clear when someone you loved deeply starts replacing you with them.

The Hurt of Being Thrown Away for “Community Friends”

What hurts the most is not that she found new people…

It’s that she threw you away for them.

Your best friend:

the girl who shared your bed,

your midnight calls,

your coffee moments,

your heartbreak stories 

suddenly found a new circle.

And instead of holding both relationships with maturity,

she pushed you aside because she now has “community friends.”

Friends who are around her simply because they stay in the same apartment.

People who entered her life out of convenience, not connection.

Hearing her repeat

“community friends, community friends, community friends”

felt like being stabbed with the same knife over and over.

It wasn’t just a word.

It was a dismissal.

A downgrade.

A painful reminder that someone you loved deeply didn’t fight for you the way you fought for them.

Sorry, my dear… I wasn’t able to handle ‘mature’ enough to ignore the way you showed your true colours. 

It wasn’t that I failed. it’s just that you moved on because you wanted community friends. And yet… thank you. 

This lesson, as painful as it was, is making me stronger than ever.

#FriendshipJourney #RealFriendship #SchoolFriends #CollegeFriends #QualityOverQuantity #Adulthood #MakingMyCircleSmaller #FriendshipBreakup #Betrayal #CommunityFriends #FindingMyPeople #EmotionalHealing #FriendshipGoals #ToxicFriendship #MovingOn #PainfulLessons