Parenting- A Novel Challenge

The unforeseen is visible, the unimaginable, experienced, the unthinkable, planned and the unnecessary is now essential. This is how the world has evolved in the last year and a half. The pandemic has challenged virtually all systems, habits, and practices. Every individual has a story to tell on how the new demands of nature had to be adapted to, in order to stay afloat in this sea of life. Every establishment has the experience to share on how they are managing themselves in this new world order, and all of these stories and experiences have left invaluable lessons for mankind. From the government to corporates to small business establishments to the smallest establishment, i.e. the family, the impact cuts across all walks of life.

Holding together a family securely has been increasingly difficult, especially in the case of children.

Health:

The key challenge for parents is to ensure the health of the children while preventing themselves from falling sick.

It is extremely challenging to ensure children obey the rules of masks and social distancing. Continuous “online” life has induced enormous stress on the vision and thoughts of children. Lack of physical activity, games, and social mingling have impacted their physical health and morale.

To protect children from the aftereffects of these realities is a daunting task. Good ambiance in the homes, indoor games among family members, and acquainting children with the house chores are some of the activities undertaken by parents to achieve satisfactory results.

Education:

One of the biggest setbacks has been on the system of education. Physical classrooms provide great ambiance for learning, ensure teachers’ constant attention on students, and good concentration. A significant challenge for parents has been to help the children stay concentrated for hours together in front of the computer. On the other extreme, many parents find it extremely interesting to participate in the class together with the children robbing them of their privacy, self-confidence, and willingness to question things without inhibition. It is essential to give them the independence they deserve and not get involved in everything.

Extracurricular activities:

All those “club activities” involving music, dance, sports, etc. have virtually disappeared from the children’s timetables. The dependency on these activities as stress busters or hobbies were very high. It is impossible for parents to replace these with anything else, without resorting to “online” once again. Satisfying children’s demands in these domains have been almost impossible.

Social Media:

Those who were averse to social media have become dependent on the same, and those who were dependent on it have become its slaves. It is impossible to keep the children away from it because there is little that parents can offer in its place. There is so much necessary and unnecessary communication that happens through it.

Conclusion:

Parenting has changed its face and is facing new challenges. As any other phenomenon in the universe, this too evolves, and parents, I am confident, would live up to the fresh demands posed by the new situation.