For some inexplicable reason, puberty and adolescence produces a streak in children which automatically closes their eyes and ears to what their parents want them to see and hear. However, these two organs open wide when their friends say something. It is really funny.
Hence, these adolescents carry on doing what they want to do and not what their parents would want them to do. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. It is wrong for the children to be blamed all the time. Sometimes, parents are just not there for them.
Since I am totally against the ‘blame game’, I had to find out ways and means to help children and people till the age of 35, for I feel that after that, no matter what you tell them, it rarely helps. I realized that by lecturing on the subject of stress busting and how to live life, the message will be reaching only a few.
Hence the book, Please Mom! It’s My Life is authored by me, exclusively for the adolescents and their way of life.

Dr. Jaideep Singh Chadha was born on 11th of October 1949 in Mumbai. Having graduated from the Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla in 1972, he did his Post Graduation in Internal Medicine from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Chandigarh in 1978. He lives in Chandigarh with his wife, Gurminder. He was recently awarded the ‘Vijay Rattan’ award.

CONTENTS:

Introduction
Part-I
The Sculptor
To Begin with....
Sequoia Tree
The Experiment
Be Positive
Influencing Factors
Decarthé said “I Think Therefore I Am”
Part-II
Attitude of Gratitude
Attitude of Surrender - To the Almighty God
Attitude of Acceptance
Attitude of Happiness
Attitude of Forgiveness
Attitude of Perfection
Attitude of Non-criticism
Attitude of Approval Seeking
Divide Your Life into Compartments
Time Management
Instant Gratification
The Great Blame Game
A Story in the Middle
The Now
Jealousy
The Attitude of Receiving and Giving
Attitude of Self Righteousness
Attitude of Adaptability
Bad Habits
Kudzu Vine
Patience
Personality
Fear
Anger

AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK IS AS FOLLOWS:

The Sculptor
I am sure some of you must have heard this one before. This story tells us a lot about ourselves. Even if you have heard it before, dig it out of the deep recesses of your brain, ponder over it and see how it fits in with your lives. This story is the summary of what I am going to tell you in this book. We will discuss the aspects of gratitude, the values of acceptance, surrender, our “wants”, jealousies, instant gratification, patience, humor etc..
There was once a poor sculptor. He could barely make both ends meet. One night, as he was passing in front of a rich man’s house, he saw the owner of the house, relaxing with a drink in his hand and two servants attending on him. He thought to himself, “Oh, what fun it would be if I had a house like that and servants to do my bidding!”
Immediately, there was lightening and a clap of thunder and the poor man found himself in the rich man’s house basking in the glory of his wealth. He began living the life of a rich man and was generally very happy.
Then one day, all his servants abandoned him and ran outside. He was very surprised and wanted to see who was more powerful than him. Outside, he saw a crowd gathered around a palanquin. He went up and saw a government servant sitting pompously in it, accepting the ‘salaams’ everyone was giving him.
He said, “Yes, this is the life. How I wish I was a government servant. Then I too would be powerful….”
He had hardly finished his thought, when the same thunder struck and he found himself sitting in the palanquin with every one deferring to him. The once sculptor was now happy. He had never-ending powers. He could get any work done and get anyone in prison.
Till one day, he was again abandoned by his carriers and left high and dry. On enquiry, he was told that the sun was so strong that the people could not stand in the glare and heat of the sun and every one had gone to the shade of the tree for protection.
“Wow”, he thought. If I only could become the sun .....And sure enough, he was the sun.
He made the lives of people miserable, till one day he realized that no one seemed to be bothered by him anymore.
Perturbed, he asked, “Now, who is more powerful than me?”
The clouds, they said. They block your heat and rays. So it was no longer a terror for any one. The ex sculptor decided that he has to be a cloud. When he became a cloud, he was happy. He produced rain whenever he wanted. He made the weather damp and dreary when people wanted sunshine. But one day, he lost control over himself and he was told that it is the wind that has taken over. He realized that the wind was more powerful. The cloud had no say in it. So he asked to be the wind hoping that he had at last found ultimate power. He uprooted trees, homes, whipped up storms and made life miserable for every one, till one day, he could not go where he wanted to go. Perplexed he asked around and was told that the majestic mountain was blocking it’s path.
He was infinitely impressed by the mountain.He thought this was the ultimate in power. So he wanted to become the mountain. When he became mountain, he was very happy.
There he was, totally majestic! Till one night, he heard a sound “Kut,kut, kut.....” On investigation he was told that a sculptor was cutting into him. And that was the time, when it dawned upon him that as a sculptor, he had been the most powerful all along.
Chew on it guys! See what you can make out of this one.


Please, Mom! It’s My Life Hindustan Times, April 23, 2007

Please, Mom! It’s My Life; a book for teenagers who think they know everything