The season of exams are on and hundreds of students who wrote them and their anxious parents will be evaluating the results with mixed emotions, some elated and some disappointed. Exams are a stepping stone to a potential career but they do not completely decide your life. #MoreThanMarks is a campaign by The Logical Indian to bring out real-life stories of ordinary people who became successful despite their marks and to stress on the fact that you can be successful and lead a happy life even if you are/were not an academic topper.

A few days back, Vandana Sufia Katoch, posted a heartwarming status. It was about her son scoring 60 per cent in the tenth board exam, which she said she was extremely proud of. It was a refreshing change from incidents and stories we hear about parents and relatives putting unrealistic pressure on their wards.

This is her story:

“It was quite apparent by the time my son was in the eighth standard that he was struggling with subjects like Maths and Science. Grasping concepts was becoming increasingly difficult. During such times, the very common reaction of a child is to shut himself/herself down. That is what happened with him. But that did not help with the fact that the classes proceeded as usual. It was a challenging time.

The ninth standard was tougher, and the tenth even tougher than the previous. He would feel demotivated, as a mother I too felt really helpless. This further worsened the situation. Then came the pre-boards and he fared poorly. He had now reached a point where he just wanted to get over with the whole ordeal. Me as a parent, seeing him struggle so much, asked him to just give his best. From then on, he pushed himself even harder and gave his all.

All of this really helped as it boosted his confidence. He would come out of the exam hall with a smile and quite satisfied with his performance. This what we wanted.

The 60 per cent marks was something that I celebrate. I have seen my son struggling and I know that he stretched himself to do his best. My post has resonated with a lot of parents because a lot them could relate to it. My message to all parents is that to not base their happiness on a thing as trivial as their children’s marks. If we are strong and happy, we would be able to render the same support to our kids.”