PW invited parents from Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior to share some life lessons their children learned on a recent family vacation

“During a recent trip to Bhutan, among other things, we decided to trek the Tiger’s Nest — a popular monastery on the cliffs of the Paro valley — a 7 km trek but could be daunting for beginners. This was our daughter Anika’s (class IX) first trek. Within the first 30 mins, she was exhausted and gave up. In all our prior experiences before boarding school, we would not have tried to convince her to persist. But this time we knew we could push her a little. While she was initially reluctant, within the next half hour, she resolved to lift herself up and start climbing again. The commitment to finish what she started was an important life lesson. Anika has come a long way in her ability to push the boundaries of comfort thanks to her boarding school experience” — Nupur Agarwal, DGM Finance, Vodafone Idea

“During a family trip to Goa, our daughter Ashrika (class VIII) explored the adventure sport of surfing for the first time. Surfing not only taught her to overcome her fear of the sea, she also linked the surfing experience with her academics. To our surprise, she mentioned that the day she has a difficult chapter to study, she will consider it to be like a scary big wave which she knows if she crosses, will bring her to smaller waves that she will enjoy. This trip was entirely planned by her on a specific budget so she could learn the power of budgeting, the power of navigating to new places, and stepping out of her comfort zone. It was a great mix of learning and fun” — Aparnna Shah, psychologist, School of Fashion Technology, Pune

“During a vacation with the extended family this winter, my daughter Naira (class X) learned a powerful lesson on the strength and beauty of togetherness. At school, she had grown used to self-reliance and focusing on personal goals. But surrounded by cousins, aunts and uncles, she discovered a different rhythm of life. Meals became livelier, and laughter echoed through late-night games and karaoke. Disagreements sparked but were quickly resolved. One evening, after a group hike had gone off course and tensions were high, Naira witnessed something she didn’t often see in school — collective resilience. The older cousins navigated, the younger ones remained positive, and adults encouraged each other. In that moment, she realized that strength often comes from leaning on others” — Afsana Akthe, Development Program Specialist, USAID Bangladesh

“The first vacation to Japan with daughter Thia (class IX) was an enchanting eye opener for us. We were so looking forward to see cherry blossoms bloom. But on reaching Japan we learnt the blossoming season was over. Though upset, Thia was quick to understand and overcome her disappointment. Subsequently on a trek in difficult terrain, she showed enormous strength and determination that I hadn’t seen before. I also observed a new circadian rhythm in Thia… going to bed early, waking up at first light and sleeping through the night. Her mind was clear, food cravings were less and she was far more active physically. Surely the outcome of excellent counselling and upbringing by teacher-mentors at SKV.” — Neville Hilluwala, Director, Hill’s Nursery and Hills’ High School, Surat