Art of Parenting

'Good parenting is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.'

In this world of overloaded information and overscheduled, overprotected children, Parenting has become one of the toughest challenges yet an understated subject. Watching children navigate the world with grit and integrity is one of the greatest rewards of parents' life.

We all as parents and teachers long for children to be happy, empowered and passionate. However, soon innumerable doubts and questions creep in our mind  regarding the consummation of this dream. How will our children succeed in the age of robots and artificial intelligence? How will they thrive in the tech revolution? Will they be able to imbibe higher values? These anxieties are familiar to parents all over the world.

What we most need to know is how to give our kids the values and skills to succeed as adults. We also have to face the massive cultural shifts that have taken place over the past few years — especially technological changes and how those changes impact our parenting.

In the 21st century, dictating no longer works. Parents shouldn’t be telling their children what to do, but asking for their ideas and working together to find solutions. Essential Life skills like problem solving, critical thinking, communication skills, empathy, creative thinking, emotional intelligence and leadership qualities are like an armour against the challenges of the world. Children must be exposed to good books, given relevant information ,made aware  of ever rising competition and trained to deal with it.

The new era demands parents to be like a companion for them to reflect, introspect and dig deep to connect to the immense wealth of wisdom that is already there. Autonomy and individuality of children should be given due respect.

The onus on us is not just of raising children, imbibing values, guiding them to pursue their interests but building the foundation of the future of humankind.

Neha Pankaj

Teacher