The Arrogance of “Just a Child” — and the Parents Behind It
Today, I came across a video of a young boy playing KBC Junior with Shri Amitabh Bachchan, displaying an unbelievable level of arrogance. Sadly, he’s not the only child who behaves this way, but that doesn’t make it excusable.
He was on national television, sitting across from a legend nearly seventy years older than him. It was his parents’ responsibility to make him understand the scale of that stage and the moment, and the stature of the person he would be speaking to.
Even if he was just a child, I, like many others, couldn’t help but feel relieved when karma caught up with him and he didn’t win anything. Hopefully, now that his clip has gone viral, his parents will reflect on their role in his upbringing.
(Slight detour: many people online are commenting that he was just a child and that trolling him is wrong. We should pause and look within ourselves. I agree with the second point but not the first. The child and his parents were probably too happy about the spotlight, perfectly fine with his misbehavior—something they might even flaunt later: “Look, our son talked so confidently with Amitabh Bachchan.” Hopefully, this collective trolling will teach them a lesson—to help their child learn humility and respect for elders.)
A Similar Encounter Closer to Home
Coincidentally, I found myself equally angry today with another child — one from my own society — who showed the same kind of arrogance. Normally, I don’t interfere with other children’s behaviour. I believe my responsibility ends with my own kids. But today, I just lost it.
This seven-year-old girl goes to the same school as my children and rides the same bus. She has a toddler brother and a young live-in attendant — let’s call her Didi. Didi lovingly takes care of both children (and probably manages other chores too).
When the girl was younger, her father often dropped her off, carrying her little brother in his arms. Occasionally, her mother would do it — walking slowly, without any urgency, almost always on the phone, even if the bus was waiting. Meanwhile, Didi would be running behind, carrying the child and her heavy school bag.
Now that the girl is older, I see Didi come cheerfully every day, calling out her name as soon as she spots her getting off the bus. The girl, however, ignores her and turns away quickly, even as Didi continues to call her name. No acknowledgment at all.
When a Child Speaks Like a Bully
Today, the girl was playing in the play area with my children and another girl, and Didi was playing along. She kept asking the girl to come home, but the girl wanted to play more. Didi wasn’t harsh—she kept negotiating: “Okay, two more minutes, then we must go.” But the girl started calling her names. How, you ask? Imagine a roadside bully hurling filthy words at someone. The moment I heard her call Didi “aye, bandar” (hey, monkey) and a few other words in her native language, I was furious.
My four-year-old son, who copies what others say, repeated it and called Didi “aye, bandar.” He had no idea what he was saying. I pretended to scold him and my daughter for bothering Didi, telling them sternly that she’s older and must be respected. This was actually directed at the girl, but I made my kids the scapegoats.
The girl said, “No, aunty, she’s just ten years old.”
I replied, “She can’t be ten. My daughter is eleven, and she’s definitely older than you.”
She kept repeating it, so I finally asked her age.
Finally, I asked her age. “I’m seven, Aunty,” she said.
“If your Didi is really ten, she’s still three years older than you. How can you speak to her like that?”
When Didi returned, I asked her age directly. “I’m twenty,” she said.
“Aye, don’t lie! Mummy says you’re only ten,” the girl shot back.
Honestly, whether she’s ten or twenty, this seven-year-old had no manners at all. What bothered me most was that this Didi takes care of both children full-time (I know how lazy their mother is), probably does other chores as well, and yet this is how she’s treated by both the mother and the child.
Where Do They Learn This From?
Every housemaid who has ever worked in my home has always been addressed as Didi or Aunty. My mother made it a point to prepare extra breakfast and tea for our househelp, knowing she often left home without eating. One of my househelps was younger than me, and I still called her Didi.
Yes, I’m nobody to judge, but when I see parents allowing their kids to treat their domestic help like servants — worse, like subhumans — it genuinely disturbs me. Many of us are trying hard to raise empathetic children, to make them aware of inequality and kindness. And yet, there are still parents who treat poorer people as servants that even their seven-year-old can mistreat.
When we came home, I told my daughter, “Whether someone is richer or poorer than us, you never treat anyone as your personal servant. You never talk down to anyone.”
Arrogance Is Not Confidence
Being an arrogant child is not the same as being a confident one. I’ve seen confident children who are also humble, respectful, and empathetic. I’m far from a perfect mother, and my children are far from perfect — but one thing I won’t allow is for them to mistreat others, definitely not in my presence.
Because arrogance isn’t a sign of confidence.
It’s a reflection of what we teach at home.
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