Happy Parenting

    HAPPY PARENTING

By Nikita Bhimsaria

Everyone on Earth wants to be a parent and believe me, it is the most joyous feeling ever. It is a journey that we go through with our family, a journey that we will cherish when our kid is no more a kid. 

Around 50-60 years ago in India, parenting seemed seamless and couples went on to have a dozen children. Wives were generally housewives and lived in big joint families that might have helped them raise so many kids together, imbibing values and culture with discipline in the little ones. 

However, with the change in times and society, this count thankfully changed with women focusing on their careers and their own self. Couples then gradually planned only 3-4 kids, still being in joint families, parenting didn't seem a challenge to them.

 Coming to the current generation of parents, who plan only 1-2 kids and are generally in nuclear families, parenting has become a challenge. As parents, we want to imbibe all good values and discipline along with culture and tradition in our kids. We want to give them all that we might have missed as kids. We want to raise responsible, independent and confident adults but we don't know how. 

So, here are a few tips for the new generation parents that might help in affectionate parenting. 

Parenting your kids well in the initial years is very crucial as it is the learning in these years that will matter later in life. 

First of all, today parenting is not about one parent at a time, rather both parents need to contribute equally in all aspects. Play around with them, join them in their silly fun activities, and engage them in some fun learning tools. In short, spend quality time with them on a regular basis.

Behave the way you want to see your child behave. A child does what he/she sees.

Never use abusive words, a child picks up really fast from parents. So be compassionate.

Don't always try to explain things to your child. Rather set examples by doing the same yourself for your kid to learn himself. Do not forget that a child’s first school is the parent's lap.

 

Remember, education and schooling is not life but an important part of life. Do not overburden your child for studies. Make them understand the importance of education, at the right time, in the right way. Inculcate reading habits early in them by reading bedtime stories to them every night. Make it a ritual. You can also buy him/her picture storybooks and ask him to narrate a story for you. This habit will greatly help them when they grow up and will thank you.

Never compare your child with others or their siblings because no two individuals in this world have the same mind and understanding of things. Every child is unique and has their own likes, dislikes, interests and talents. Please respect them with your support and encouragement. Your nagging might make them lose their interest in what they are passionate about. Praise them for their little successes and encourage them on failures.

Teach them to be compassionate towards others, starting from say, your house help. Let them greet them with respect like ‘Didi’ or ‘Bhaiya’. Let your little one help them and yourself in the chores with whatever little they can. They will gradually learn to be empathetic. 

To make them eat healthy, first, you have to eat healthy. Whatever the parents eat and drink, the child eats the same. Believe me, if you follow this, you will never have to run after your child to make him eat healthy food. They will learn themselves.

Lastly, most important of all, NEVER SHOUT at your child. Don’t expect your child to understand you. Instead, put an extra effort into understanding your little one. A child may create a mess or may really upset you. But remember, he is only a small child whose brain and mind are still developing. Try to find the reason for his behaviour, talk to them and work on that. Be your child’s support system. You will be surprised with the results! 

I hope these tips will help you.

Thanks for reading!

HAPPY PARENTING !!