The next principle in education is - unselfishness. What is that? Unselfishness means parents are not attached who will become their child. They do not think: ‘my child will become like this’. This is a manifestation of self-interest. They are not attached to who will be their child but attached to how their child will be. Unselfishness means child will go on that path to which he predicted. But self interest is the lack free will. If child is not given free will at home than it means he is being educated with self interest. Child also will grow up greedy or unhappy. Child should have free will. But in what? There is need for knowing two things. One is – the thing which should not be encouraged in child. That is the thing which is coming out of false ego. Second thing which should be encouraged that the thing which is coming out of his karma. Now, how to understand what is from false ego and what is from the karma? If child asks something for himself then no need to encourage that it is out of false ego. If child is asking something for others then parents should encourage it. For example child comes and says: ‘I want this and that for this and that person’. And parents should encourage it. Because that is prescribed duty of his life, he is having such like desire. Do you understand? Here it is very important the innocent desire of a child. If child is asking something for himself: ‘mom, give me this and that!’. That should not be encouraged. Is child is interested in some subject in life, if something is interesting for him, and if he wants to work hard on that field then that should be encouraged. But if he desires others to serve to him working hard then that should be encouraged. Suppose he asks for help, but does not give you the initiative, we are helping or if he is organizing some kind of activity, then others need to be submissive to him. For example, daughter requests mother to help in washing cloth. Mother washes herself and says: ‘go away I do not have time’. This means mother is doing wrong action and she will get reaction for that. Child will grow unhappy in such relations. But if daughter says: ‘mom, give me your dress to check on me.’ Then this should not be encouraged. Do you understand? Do you see the difference?

 This text was translated from Russian book written by Devotee psychologist.