What should Parenting in the 21st century be like?

Out of all the 7 billion people in the world, If you could have a tremendous influence over the upbringing of a single soul, how would you feel? Well, it may seem a little scary and nerve-racking. But hey on the bright side, doesn’t it almost seem like a superpower? Well, this superpower is called parenting.

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Now you might wonder, as someone who hasn’t even received a voter ID, who am I to talk about parenting? Well then let me ask you, who would you ask for the feedback of a commercial product- the seller or the customer? If you couldn’t process the analogy there, you may read it again.

They say the most important part of learning is unlearning. As a parent, as much as you would love the authority over your child, one thing a lot of parents might assume is the authority over his thought process as well. Some parents forget that their child will grow up into a whole individual himself, with his own thoughts, beliefs, sexuality, opinions, dreams and perspective. What a parent should focus on is not shaping their belief system but more on their value system.
Because opinions might change, it’s the values that stay.

Childhood is the most important phase of a person’s life. It affects and shapes what is called the subconscious mind. We perform 95% of our daily activities through our subconscious mind. I hope that makes you realise how significant it is.

It is scientifically proven that your childhood experiences deeply affect your adult relationships. Therefore, parenting should not be something that comes about randomly. Parents should invest a substantial amount of time and thought into it.

According to the great Chanakya, treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. That’s important to make them feel safe and loved. For the next five years, scold them. This is the time when they trust you and you must chide them to teach them discipline.

Now the next few years, treat them like a friend. Adolescence comes with a feeling of Independence. I feel adolescents should be given space to do things that parents might consider wrong or even “stupid”. When you learn by making the mistake yourself, it adds to your maturity and teaches you far more than how much you would have learnt through a moral lecture by your parents. Plus, this is the only time we can make the stupidest blunders and get away with it.

Following this might make the pipe dream of most parents come true, which is to become your grown-up kids' best friend.

Well as much as I might have made it sound like a herculean task involving strategies it is also a beautiful journey to enjoy bestowing lovely moments you will cherish forever 🌠

I would like to leave you with a parting thought – “There are two things we should give our children- one is roots and the other is wings”.