Bookmarks of Love: Small Gestures, Big Impact - Vol 2
June 23rd, 2025
The women artisans are fully committed to educating their children, often making big sacrifices to keep them in school. Many of the women didn't complete high school themselves, and the academic expectations today are far more demanding than what they experienced in their village schools. Feeling unequipped to help with homework, about 95% of them send their children to tutorial classes.
These classes, however, are often crowded, expensive, and not particularly effective. Yet many mothers feel they have no choice—at least the children are studying, which they struggle to enforce at home.
This led to open discussions: Were tutorial classes actually helpful, or just something everyone felt pressured to do? The conversations quickly grew deeper, touching on the tension between mothers and children. With so much focus on academics, emotional connection was getting lost.
So the discussion turned to this: How can we move from just enforcing studies to also nurturing strong, loving bonds with our children? Yes, education is important—but so are quality time, emotional understanding, and kind words. Raising confident and happy children requires all of it.
As part of this shift in perspective, we introduced a simple yet meaningful activity. Each mother made a bookmark and wrote a loving message or a special trait about her child—phrases like "Cricketer", "Angel", or "My little champion." It was a powerful way to reconnect with their children beyond academics.
Rahat from Pragati Cooperative captured the experience beautifully:
"We loved making bookmarks for our children and writing one positive thing about them. But honestly, it wasn't easy. It felt a bit shameful to realize how quickly we point out their mistakes and how hard it is to recall their good qualities. This activity opened our eyes—how easily we focus on the negative and forget to appreciate the positive. From now on, we will try to speak more kind and encouraging words and notice the good in our children every day."
• What's a tradition—big or small—you've started with your child/friend?
• What's your go-to way to cheer up your child/friend when they're upset?
• What's something your parents said that made you feel loved as a kid?
Start the Conversation!
READ THE NEXT ARTICLE:
Mission by Design - Vol 2
