Today, my little boy faced the very first interview of his life — a milestone moment, though he didn’t quite realize its weight. It was short, barely five minutes long, but for those few minutes, he sat there under the curious eyes of the teachers, perhaps wondering why he was being asked things he had never thought he needed to know.
The questions began simply — his name, which he spelled confidently. His current school? No problem. His favorite food? Without hesitation, he smiled and said, “My… favourite… fruit… is … Apple.” I felt a surge of pride watching him answer so sweetly.
But then came the trickier part — “What is the name of the school you aspire to study in?” … Silence. My brave little boy looked around, eyes wandering across the unfamiliar classroom walls, trying to find comfort or perhaps a hidden answer somewhere in the paints. A few more questions followed, but words seemed to have left him. He sat there quietly, lost in his own world, as if the walls had become more interesting than the people waiting for his response.
I could see his nervousness, the unfamiliar setting tightening his little lips, his mind overwhelmed. And honestly, who could blame a six-year-old for freezing in his first-ever formal interview? After all, the world of questions, expectations, and tests had only just begun knocking on his tiny door.
The interview ended, not with applause but with an exchange of glances — teachers marking their sheets. Before leaving, I thanked the teachers for bothering to interview my son. I gently held my son’s hand while he was still gazing at those walls.
But here’s the thing — to me, he was already a winner. Bravery isn’t just about giving the perfect answers; sometimes, it’s about just showing up. And my little boy did.
On our way back, I told him how proud I was — not for the answers he gave or missed — but for sitting there, facing strangers, and trying his best. We stopped by a ice cream cart, picked out the biggest cone, and bought him a small toy — a reward not for success, but for courage.
Because life will have many more interviews, tests, and challenges. There won’t always be someone to ask about his “favourite food”. Some he’ll ace, some he’ll stumble through. But today, he learned — no matter how the world judges, his father is always his biggest fan.
And that, I believe, is the best lesson from his first ever interview.
