Exams vs Cricket: Parents in a 'match fix'

Bangalore - 28 Jan 2011:It's the worst piece of news for young cricket enthusiasts and their parents. The World Cup cricket and IPL-4 matches will coincide with the exam season between February and April this year, leaving parents with the difficult task of tearing their children away from television.

While some are considering removing their cable service for the months in question, others are planning to put their television sets in storage for the time being. But in this age of computers, this may not solve the problem either. "I think I will put the television away, but my son could still follow the matches on his desktop," says a worried Anjali, the mother of a 15-year-old, who is appearing for his board examinations this year.

Sharat , father of a 15-year-old appearing for his ICSE examinations, says he will have to sacrifice watching the matches himself and discontinue the cable service at home for the duration of the exams.

"It would be wrong for us to follow the World Cup and IPL matches and expect our child not to watch them," he reasons. The worry is greater where both spouses are working and cannot stop their children from watching television in their absence. So concerned are some couples that they have decided to take leave to ensure that their children study. "My husband and I have decided to take leave in turns, so that one of us is around to keep tabs on our son," reveals Vaishali Shah, a software engineer.

Parents are also unhappy that most matches will start at 2.30 pm, which they consider as prime study time for their children. But psychiatrists caution that too much denial may prove counter-productive and leave children unable to concentrate on their studies. "The World Cup and IPL-4 are highly addictives and so if children are kept away from them altogether there are chances that they may sit with a book in their hands, but keep thinking of ways to hoodwink their parents and get to follow the matches. It makes more sense to allow them to see the matches in bits and pieces, while counselling them about how important it is to study as well," says Dr S.G. Muraliraj, head of department, psychiatry, Manipal Hospital.

source: DC