Parenting isn’t just difficult, it is extremely difficult. It is the most challenging and rewarding job you will ever experience.
Parenting today is a lot harder than it was 2-3 decades ago. Our parents might argue that and present all the possible scenarios, as to how they had a much more difficult time parenting us. But as the world advances and develops, being a parent gets harder and harder.
Let’s start with all the things that we need to dodge our children from, in today’s world.
Sweets- Remember the times when a birthday cake was a ‘once in a year occasional treat’, and we also managed to get, just ‘a piece of the pie’ on b’days of some very close friends. Chocolates were something children waited for when guests came home or parents returned from travel.
Screens – Remember that the time when TV times didn’t have to be regulated by our parents but rather the timings of the shows we wanted to watch. Today children have I-pads/tablets/mobile phones at their disposal to watch screens at their leisure without any time limits.
As we spend our time and effort to limit or keep our children away from these things, the usual tantrums start. Of-course we don’t want to resort to hitting or shouting at our children to get things done. And the never ending advice of don’t say no to your children. Substitute the word ‘no’ with something else, but at the same time you need to discipline your child as well.
How does a parent even do that?
Hence the parenting dilemma starts.
Let’s not forget the endless and conflicting advice a new mom is flooded with . Don’t give any formula, breast milk is the best.
Give formula once at night, else the child will not sleep full and well.
Feed on demand. Feed on 2 hrs gaps, no matter what. It goes on and on.
This natural instinct in today’s time to follow mom bloggers all over Instagram, who may or may not be professional experts, and their never ending advice. Do not hit, do not shout. The list goes on and on. How do you even know who to trust and who not to? The answer is simple. Find an expert. Period!
Not to forget that constant struggle of educating your child. Gone are the days when all parents had to do is parenting. Today parents have to be their child’s friend, their nutritionist, occasionally their doctors, and if all this wasn’t enough, they also have to be their child’s teacher.