I teach the 7 yr old son of my maid as she cannot send him to school. The reason behind this is that her youngest son is too young to go to school and she cannot leave him alone when she comes out for work. So the eldest, the 7 year old son, has to stay home and take care of the youngest one. She cannot trust her kids with her husband as he is frequently inebriated.
Anyways, this son of my maid was coming with her every saturday to study. Today I was rejoicing that the boy had learnt to write 1, 2 and 3. But the joy was shortlived.
His mother was sitting with us while I was teaching him. I was asking him to randomly identify 1, 2 and 3 as he frequently mixes them up. He bent low to peer into the notebook and my mobile phone fell out of his pocket. His mother was shocked and asked him how he had got it. He stayed silent. I asked him how he had got it. He stayed shut. I asked him whether he has taken anything else. He said no. His mother started searching his pockets. I asked her not to do it and asked him to return anything that he may have picked up. The saddest part was when tears fell out of his mother's eyes as she said that "Bhabhi, you must have lost trust on me, na? You must be thinking that I had asked him to do this?" I chose not to reply and instead asked the boy whether he liked to see his mother cry. Then, his eyes also became wet and I forced him to face his mother and promise that he will not repeat this. I also warned him that if he does this again, I will stop teaching him.I don't know whether I should have given him another chance but it felt right at the time. Even though I don't want to admit it, I have started doubting his mother a bit too.
I don't know whether I was right in giving them a second chance....or whether I should have thrown both of them out right away.