Book Review: Speed post – Letters to my children about living, loving caring and coping with the world by Sobha De'

My most precious possession till date are 21 letters which my dad wrote to me while I was away from home in my hostel and the one written by mom in which she has showered all her love on me as if I am a three year old kid. Needless to say, throughout the letter she insisted on taking good care of my health. Whenever, I read these letters tears start rolling down my cheeks as these letters are my biggest strength and inspiration. How I wish I could hear those words again but everything in this world is not meant to be perfect and the void can never be filled in my lifetime! Well!!! With the ascent of time I have mastered the art of living all alone and the way life comes to me. Even I love writing letters and had written pretty good lot to my sister, dad, mom, aunty, uncle and to my little brothers who are just like kids to me. I feel this is the best way to communicate one’s feeling and the easiest way to solve an issue.

Shobha’s compilation of letters to her kids is a must read for all the parents. This book is a guide to all the parents who carry preconceived notions of handling their kids and are adamant to change. To be a successful and responsible parent is an art which require lot of efforts. Very seldom do parents think of the way they are supposed to behave with their kids, the kind of liberty that should be granted to kids, what kids expect from them and so on. On the other hand, every parent under the sun has a sacrosanct list of dos’ and don’ts for their kids. It is very important to understand the expectations of the child and the best way to avoid any confusion among parents and kids is to minimize the communication gap to zero. One thing which is remarkable about the book is that Shobha has tried to discuss every topic with her kids ranging from business, glamour, likes, dislikes, emotions, sex, movies, relationships, affairs to death. Through the medium of letters Shobha got into the heart of her kids and it shows that zero communication gaps between the parents and kids is the key to a healthy parental relationship. The book carries great learning for both parents and kids and is a perfect material to understand the minds of parent and kids.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Shobha’s candid experiences shared in letters written to her kids and also the retaliation and expectation of her kids. Nobody cares to think for a while about parents living up to expectations of kids but the sword always falls on kids and they are supposed to live up to the expectations of their parents. Let’s put it other way, though we don’t want always to be dominant on our kids but as we are so used to giving directions to them that we never bother about the expectations of our kids. For those who think on these lines and are a preacher of this orthodox belief must definitely read this book. I am pretty sure there are lot many parents who will find this book very interesting and helpful.

So if kids, mommies and Daddies of this world are having a tough time in striking a proper balance at home, each one of you should pick up Shobha De’s Speedpost and you may see a change in your life. The moral of the book is that exchange the three magical letters (I love you) among yourselves at home, keep the communication gap to minimal levels and never go to bed without closing an issue and your lives will be rocking.

Aside to my two little twin darlings!!
So far as I am concerned, I confess on record that I had been protecting my two little brothers like my kids and for me there is so much to learn from Shobha’s letters. My brothers always complain of my ruling attitude and my obsession with perfection which makes me keep them on their toes and which means lot of hard work for them. If I make a true and fair assessment of things, I feel there is some space for improvement but my dear little darlings don’t expect me to be too liberal, if I am being tough it is for your betterment, if I am being rude it is because I want you to understand the value of things, if I am being adamant for something it is because I want to see you at the top of the world and I love you the most in this world.